A review of La La Land, directed by Damien Chazelle. Lionsgate, 2016.

In Damien Chazelle’s 2016 musical-drama La La Land, two artists, Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), are trying to find their place in their chosen crafts. We watch their banter-filled relationship turn into a romantic relationship as they both strive to chase their dreams, but it ends up not being enough. Chazelle also directed Whiplash (2014) and First Man (2018), which were both nominated for a plethora of awards. La La Land follows Mia and Sebastian’s passionate romance, but we see them grow apart and realize that they can’t achieve their dreams and still be together. Acknowledging this bittersweet realization in the final scene of the film makes the heart hurt.

Mia works towards becoming an actress at the beginning of the film, and is from Nevada. She moved to California, hoping to get her big break in acting. Sebastian wishes to become a jazz musician and open his own jazz club in Los Angeles (where the movie takes place). Sebastian is an old soul. He lives and breathes jazz and even has a cassette deck in his vintage car.

This film ponders the dilemma of whether individual dreams can coexist with a relationship, and if you plan to find out… have a box of tissues ready. We see Mia and Sebastian’s ups and downs in their roughly two-year relationship. This is a beautiful film about working towards your dreams and making sacrifices to achieve them.

Linus Sandgren oversaw the ethereal cinematography of the film and was inspired by old Hollywood. In La La Land, many of the characters and background actors are wearing primary colors to make them stand out. Sandgren was most deserving when he won Best Cinematography at the 2017 Oscars. The scene where Mia and Sebastian are dancing after leaving early from a party is breathtaking. Mia is in a yellow flowy dress–that makes her look like an enchanted flower when she spins–and Sebastian has on a white shirt. Their apparel makes them both stand out from the early purple/blue night sky. They both dance a beautiful jazz routine that had me absolutely enthralled. Both characters are leaving a party and fall into playful banter that borders on arguing. Mia wears an exquisite yellow dress that makes her stand out against the night sky. I did not get up one time during this two-hour and eight-minute film.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling knew their characters and did them justice. I could feel everything they were feeling, whether it was good or heartbreaking. Mia goes on countless auditions and is turned down every time. I got excited while she was auditioning and was upset when she was rejected time and time again. I wanted her to succeed. You could say that Sebastian was successful, but he was playing music he didn’t love. It wasn’t jazz. Every tour he would go on made him lose more of himself and made him lose his ambition to chase his dreams. Even when Mia and Sebastian finally get together as a couple, I was excited. Everyone wishes for love to prevail.

Every aspect that makes a film a good film was in this movie: a solid script, believable acting and emotional depth delivered by Gosling and Stone, effective cinematography and editing in the musical numbers (especially during the opening scene when Mia and Sebastian are both on the same road and exchange some road rage with one another), and, last but not least, a powerful soundtrack that adds melancholy ambiance towards the end of the film. Music is very important and can make or break the film. I was moved by the soundtrack, especially Mia and Sebastian’s theme. It is an intimate and tender waltz that can make anyone stop in their tracks and listen to the solo that Sebastian is pouring his heart into.

I believe the reason some people do not like this film is because they wanted a different ending, and I could not disagree more with this take. The people who leave this film wanting a different ending completely missed the point. It’s like when Mia says, “I’ve been to a million auditions, and the same thing happens every time[…].” There are so many films that give the audience what they want: the happy ending. That is not realistic; La La Land is, and it is raw with emotion. Mia and Sebastian want to make careers for themselves, but we see their treacherous journey along the way. While this film is listed as a musical with comedic elements, this film has been called a horror movie because of its realistic ending. This is why some people choose not to watch it. It feels too real, and films are supposed to provide an escape from our realities.

One of the songs in this film is called “Another Day of Sun,” with lyrics by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, which captures this film perfectly: “I’m reaching for the heights / And chasing all the lights that shine / And when they let you down (it’s another day) / You’ll get up off the ground (it’s another day) / ‘Cause morning rolls around and it’s another day of sun.” No matter what happens, you have to move on. The world keeps spinning, and the people keep moving. Mia and Seb go through a lot together as individuals and as a couple. Seb tours with a band to stay afloat and try to get a foot in the music industry, even though he is not happy that he is constantly away from Mia and is not doing jazz.

A pivotal scene in the film is when Sebastian surprises Mia with an anniversary dinner (when she thought he was still on the road), jazz plays in the background, and they end up having a huge fight that changes the trajectory of their relationship. Neither of them are happy as individuals, and they both want the best for each other, which makes them so frustrated with the other. They learn they need to put themselves first. Mia asks him, “Do you like the music you’re playing?” Sebastian responds with, “I don’t know that it matters.”

Sometimes love isn’t enough, and it might be keeping you from fulfilling your dreams. Mia sums this up perfectly as a big theme in this film through their messy fight, “People will want to go to it [Sebastian’s jazz club] because you’re [they’re] passionate about it. And people love what other people are passionate about.” Mia and Sebastian realize that they can’t get what they desire for themselves while together and have to do what is best for them in the long run.

While watching this film, you are rooting for them to get through this rough patch and come out stronger by the end, but this does not happen. They don’t get married and spend their lives together like Noah and Ally from The Notebook (2004). The audience wants closure from their breakup. This movie does not produce the typical tie-everything-up-in-a-cute-bow closure. It’s like standing over a grave of someone you didn’t know, but wish you could have.

At the very end of the film, Mia and Sebastian are not reunited, but Mia is now with someone else. Mia and her husband stumble across Sebastian’s jazz club. There is no dialogue in this ending scene. The only acting performed is through these brilliant actors’ expressions and body language. Mia and Sebastian are not Noah and Ally. While they both have a great love, sometimes love isn’t enough. La La Land is not an escape from reality like most films; it is a reflection of reality. It feels too real because this situation happens every day. People watch movies for escape and entertainment. They don’t travel to an alternate world; instead, they are met with a real-world situation that doesn’t get the “happy” ending they think it should. From a different perspective, it is a happy ending. Mia becomes a successful actress by the end of the film, and Sebastian is playing jazz on his piano in his self-titled jazz club. These characters both got what they worked so hard for, but they couldn’t do it with each other. If La La Land teaches us anything, chase your dreams and don’t let anyone hold you back, even if it’s your lover. Some might not like the film because of this ending; however, this ending makes the film, and the audience is along for the ride, whether they see that or not.