![carla in the heights carla in the heights](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tNPyeskqXcw/maxresdefault.jpg)
And thirteen years on this romance between Daniela and Carla feels like a definite step in the right direction. When this musical opened back in 2008, it would still have been unthinkable to have a lesbian couple shown as pillars of their community in a family-friendly film. And that domesticity – the way Daniela and Carla are established not only as a couple, but part of a community – is what makes it so special. They’re shown alongside a range of other families getting breakfast, getting ready for school or work.
![carla in the heights carla in the heights](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XL6T18D5-Po/maxresdefault.jpg)
In the opening montage, Carla (Stephanie Beatriz) wakes Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega) with a kiss as the block gears up for another day.
![carla in the heights carla in the heights](https://theancestory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Carl-Wayne.jpg)
But now, in the film version, they are life partners too. In the original musical, these two were business partners, running the salon that served as a source of gossip as well as looks. And members of the community were disappointed.Īlthough the colorism controversy has triggered a very necessary conversation about anti-Blackness in Hollywood, we at AfterEllen would like to talk about one area of representation where In the Heights succeeded: the romance between Daniela and Carla. It’s somewhat ironic that dark-skinned people were written out of a story about racism and gentrification. Yet there were no dark-skinned Afro-Latino leads. And around 90% of Dominican people have African heritage. In the Heights is set in Washington Heights, known by locals as Little Dominican Republic. Yet the predominantly light-skinned and white-passing cast raised questions about whose stories are told on screen. And it’s a ground-breaking moment for Latin representation in Hollywood. There were multiple false starts, but the film is here. And he used the post- Hamilton hype to adapt his musical In the Heights for screen. After creating and starring in the most nominated musical ever to run, the sky was the limit for Lin-Manuel Miranda.