Luis Miranda

(On Cable TV, October 2020) With the massive success of the Broadway musical Hamilton, it’s inevitable that it would lead to a number of movies, books and other works that may not necessarily be derivative, but would not exist without Hamilton’s popularity and fan base. So it is that the documentary Siempre, Luis is both about the efforts to bring Hamilton to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, but also the life of Luis Miranda, the father of Hamilton’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. It’s a compelling story, as we follow the ever-active Luis making his way to New York City, where he studies and gets involved in the political process as an activist and then an organizer. Woven throughout the documentary is a strong appreciation for Puerto Rico, along with a gentle push for statehood by summarizing the territory’s unusual situation. (The film’s politics are not subtle.) Luis is a strong character, although putting him next to the incredibly charismatic Lin-Manuel is one of those situations where the documentarian can’t really win. The other issue is that while the film uses the Hamilton musical’s tortuous road to Puerto Rico as a framing device, the show’s ultimate performance is often given short thrift. Still, it’s interesting enough, and the glimpses at Lin-Manuel’s origins make for compelling viewing for fans of his musicals. (“In the Heights” is given a few minutes to properly contextualize the breakthrough that it was.) The way Miranda-père helped Miranda-fils in his early days is certainly not to be discounted.