An official adaptation of the 1961 film of the same name, West Side Story follows the story of a rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks until two teenagers from both groups fall for each other. The story is a musical with the characters breaking a jig while expressing their moments. This was a refreshing form of storytelling especially in 2022 as it adds a different layer of emotions to the already engaging drama. But not everyone is privy to it and so this is a niche(like it was in the english film In The Heights). Now, if you have watched the original(and not counting the Hindi adaptation of it which I will come to in a minute), then you would already know the beats of the tragedy which does unfold. The hindi adaptation Josh has a similar crux with a different trajectory due to which I will not be comparing it with this. But the screenplay is quite upbeat and thoroughly enjoyable. This was perhaps the first time that I was watching a musical tragedy unfold and it just hit a different chord.

Each of the sequences are well thoughtout and clear in terms of its emotions as well as the storytelling. The clear demarcation between the cultures of the Americans and the migrants from Puerto Rico is well showcased and probably a relevant issue even now(perhaps, I maybe wrong here). What fascinated me the most was that despite this being a musical, the story was progressing at a rapid pace. And I was engaged throughout its runtime of more than 150 minutes. The situations created leading upto the twist in the tale and also the fate of the protagonists was quite interesting. The film does get murky towards the backend ending in a viciously dark final act which just felt like poetry in motion. An absolutely delightful screenplay this!