Evan Hansen, an awkward, lonely high school senior, struggles
with Social Anxiety Disorder. On the
advice of his therapist, he pens supportive letters to himself:
“Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be an amazing day, and
here’s why. Because today all you have
to do is be yourself. But also
confident.”
Connor, another loner student, picks up one of Evan’s
letters and, several days later, commits suicide. When Connor’s parents find the letter, they take
it to be their son’s suicide note. Instead
of dissuading them, Evan concocts an account of a close friendship with the
classmate he barely knew, creating an email trail. Connor’s family swallows the
story.
As Evan gains the attention he has always craved and comes
out of his shell, he finds that he cannot stop himself. He
founds the “Connor Project,” an organization dedicated to preserving his “friend’s”
memory where he shares his musings on social media: “Have you ever felt like nobody was
there? Have you ever felt forgotten in
the middle of nowhere? Have you ever
felt like you could disappear? Like you
could fall, and no one would hear? ...Well, let that lonely feeling wash
away…Lift your head and look around. You
will be found. You will be found.” Once Evan’s postings go viral, the Connor
Project becomes a veritable industry, with a budget, and fans who look to it
for inspiration. As the stakes rise, the
Project can flourish only by being fed more lies.
