La La Land: Why you dream
I missed out on La La Land in 2016, and only just got around to seeing it. And no it’s not going to make me rewrite my 2016 review, because if anything, La La Land is a 2017 film.
Like Empire calls it, La La Land is “pure unadulterated joy” on screen. It’s uplifting as much as a film can be( A “breath of fresh air” I read somewhere). And that is mostly thanks to the amazing soundtrack (Special mention, the main theme) and musical numbers. From the get go, the now classic traffic jam number gives the tone of the film. I have some reserve for the one in space, but the rest of them will plant a smile on your face and it’ll very likely stay there for a long time. The use of colours on the costumes helps the readability of these numbers as well as brightening up the picture. Additionally, they don’t always drop when you expect them. It’s not the classic case of “oh yeah, music starts, they’re going to dance now.” There are a lot of surprises down the line for you if you think like that.
Ryan Gosling’s struggle with dancing becomes apparent only because he is paired with Emma Stone, who is definitely a natural. Their third partner in this dance is the camera, swirling around them, making their performance smoother than you’d expect. The melancholic Seb and the determined Mia truly shine in these roles. The chemistry between them feels very real, and their intertwining existences are handled superbly. The fun that you feel while watching their lives unfold on screen is only as good because the actors themselves seem to have fun.
But there is more to this film than pure joy on screen. If that’s what you want, watch a monty Python and you’ll feel great too. This film is about love, jazz, but in particular, dreams. And what you do not expect from La La Land is a scene like the dinner scene, where both characters’ dreams are discussed, and deconstructed, and confronted with life itself. This film doesn’t have a human antagonist. Its antagonist is Life. Most often, that is the case for us too. To reach our dreams, we are not going to be fighting someone so much as Life itself.
In La La Land, Life brings our pair together, and then throws rocks at them to test their resolve. And instead of an easy resolution like any other love story, the film opts for a different approach. The selflessness shown by Seb feels real, it feels like something one would do for another’s dream. The strength of the film therefore lies in the very real way it treats our dreams (Yes I just wrote that). It shows you why you believe in them, without ever making it seem like it’s “that easy” like other films would do.
The ending of the film is truly touching. Uplifting yet sad. It’s about regrets, but also about how they make us who we are. The sense of old love is rendered to the perfection with only a few exchanges of looks. And yet, even with these regrets made obvious on screen, both characters have a sense of accomplishment. We get to experience all of this through their musical theme, like they do. Their final smile to each other seems to be something closer to a thank you than anything else.
It’s for the way the story dodges the genre clichés like that that I am grateful. It has been a long time since films have taken risks like these, Granted, they are not extremely risky moves, but still depart from the genre, while retaining the poetry of the best romantic films to date.
To conclude, this is a 2017 film in the sense that it defies what we expect from this year. We have very good reasons to be afraid of what lies ahead, but no reason to forget our optimism. That's why I'm pretty glad I saw it on the day of the Trump inauguration. Smiles, love, dreams, are going to get this world back on track, and where can we look for them if not in Art. So there, La La Land is what we want from a 2017 film.
After doubting my dreams recently, I can tell you that this film gave me more than a good time. It gave me a reason to believe in my dreams, and in everyone else’s dreams. So thank you, thank you very much Mr Chazelle.
(Originally posted 20/01/2017)