The creative choice potentially leaves non-Spanish-speaking viewers in the dark about certain exchanges between members of the Sharks and the larger Puerto Rican community depicted in the film, but Spielberg says the move was deliberate.
Speaking with IGN in a recent interview, the director explained that the lack of English subtitles in the film was “out of respect for the inclusivity of our intentions to hire a totally Latinx cast to play the Sharks’ boys and girls.”.the most notable thing for me in this version of the #WestSideStory film: the Puerto Rican characters speak in Spanish quite often, without subtitles, without re-saying what they've said in English.Much to love about the new West Side Story, but Steven Spielberg’s deliberate choice not to subtitle any Spanish dialogue was his most brilliant decision?I only understood bits and pieces of the Spanish dialogue without subtitles in #WestSideStory, but it didn’t upset me, given the intended social message.I speak some Spanish, but I do not support Spielberg's decision to omit subtitles from the upcoming "West Side Story" remake.Screenwriter Tony Kushner also weighed in on the “intentional” decision to omit subtitles when characters are speaking Spanish throughout the film.