Revue Rant: A cinematic love-letter | La La Land by Damien Chazelle (2016)

Introduction

La La Land is visual poetry wrapped in the unashamed romantic chemistry between the two engaging and dedicated amateurs Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling). The movie opens with ‘Another day of Sun’, a preamble that gently tugs on to haunt us of the heartbreak that awaits.

Lyrics "I think about that day, I left him at a Greyhound station, west of Santa Fé; A Technicolor world made out of music and machine. It called me to be on that screen and live inside each scene" are a subtle whisper that the film’s plot is maybe not as dreamy and jolly as the vibrant colours, music, and dance make it seem.

Plot Summary?

The film explores the journeys of the two protagonists Mia and Seb, how the two of them envision Los Angeles to be the path to their dreams, the steps and sacrifices they make to reach them, and how love and ambition rarely ever go hand in hand.

The plot of the movie is driven by seasons, signifying that Mia and Seb’s relationship is ever-changing. It portrays the reality of Hollywood, how ‘They worship everything and they value nothing.’

It’s a cinematic love letter to LA that takes you on a vibrant dreamlike journey of the most real, most relevant characters who lead lives of struggle, yet with their own ‘pixie dusted’ moments.

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Characters

Mia: Played by the versatile Emma Stone, this character aspires to make it big in the acting field. Independent, strong-willed, and persevering, she goes to a couple hundred auditions where she’s treated with utter disregard and made to feel insecure. A true artist at heart, she instantly falls in love with Seb’s love for jazz and the common passion is what draws them together.

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Seb: Raw and passionate character played by the incredible Ryan Gosling, Seb is a ‘phoenix rising from the ashes.’ A traditionalist, he believes it to be his sole purpose in life to keep jazz alive in all its radiant intensity and beauty. In some situations, he can also be observed mansplaining concepts to Mia, and imposing his will, or love for jazz in this scenario, which though resulted for the better, but is a positive sign for toxic masculinity, a trait portrayed quite clearly here.

Cinematography

La La Land is a homage to some of the greatest musicals ever made: Singin’ in the Rain, Casablanca, Rebel without a Cause, The Belle of New York, etc. Naturally, the cinematography by Linus Sandgren in bringing Damien Chazelle’s vision to life has portrayed the camera as a visual musical instrument, having rhythm and changing movements according to the flow of the plot.

Constant close-ups and zooming in on the character helped the viewers get intimate with their innermost feelings and putting them under the spotlight before a musical, significant moment denotes their dreams being in the light and shining through, quite literally.

The camera seamlessly follows the four friends in different parts of the apartment in ‘Someone in the Crowd’ and then out onto the hallway.?

Towards the end of that same piece, the camera hit all the right beats when people jumped into the pool, giving it just the perfect impact. Transitions like fade, dissolve, and iris shot is used to dramatize the film further and reinforce that element of fantasy.

Musical pieces have long ongoing shots that subtly zoom in and out of the scene while keeping the whole body of the characters in the frame. The camera movements literally improvised with jazz and its rhythm. ?

Colours

Because, of course. This is literally the most spectacular element Chazelle played around with, and quintessentially if I might add.

The use of primary, eye-popping colours tell us about the lives the two protagonists lead and their connect with the outside world. ?

The high contrast in all of Mia’s auditions signifies the constant war she’s at with all worldly forces to be the actress she wishes to be. It shows tension, while also adding vibrancy to the scene so the viewers are agitated to think about all that is going wrong.

Blue constantly surrounds Mia and Seb, signifying the materialistic ‘all-wilts-away’ Hollywood. It is also the colour Mia and Seb are wearing when they first meet, it’s the colour they’re wearing on the day of the audition when they finally dawn upon the realisation that they need to part ways to achieve their dreams. And finally, in the last scene where they look at each other and silently nod in regard to the other’s accomplishments, they’re bathed in blue light, letting the audience sweep in the awareness of their ambition and that they made it.

Yellow, rarely visible in the film post its beginning sequence ‘Another Day of Sun’, is majorly associated with Mia’s dress in the ‘Waste of a Lovely Night’ and the colour Keith wears when he runs into Seb. Both these moments are key to the changing plot and Seb’s changing dynamics in his relationship with Mia and his traditionalist thoughts about jazz.?

Green is the colour that surrounds the moments they spend in their home together, the connection they share while singing ‘City of Stars’ and the heated argument they have over dinner.

The romantic setting wrapped in green and yellow candlelight hues is soon turned into envious and heated anger dialogues between the two, shifting the tone of the entire film and thus beginning their fallout.

Purple is the colour of fantasy and also considered sometimes to be the colour of bad omen, signifying the tragic end in pops of purple as the film begins. It’s seen when their romance first starts to bloom and then seen in Mia and Seb’s costume in the epilogue, and time and again as a reminder of the heartwreck that is to follow.

Red mostly speaks about ambition or unfulfilled dreams in this film. It’s spotted in the initial scenes of the film featuring Mia, signifying her incomplete life and her hunger to make it big. Seb is seen in red during his pool party gig, where he’s made to feel inadequate, compromising to keep in the limelight.

It’s the colour of the lights Mia walks through and stops when she heard Seb play, the colour of the keys Seb plays on during the photo shoot when he misses Mia’s one-woman show.

An important moment in the film is observed as Mia steps out of the red lit backstage onto the white and bright stage, embracing her true form, though unsuccessful.

The characters are often found awash in reds and blues. From when Mia and Seb discuss her show and the name of his club to when they last meet and lock eyes.?

The Epilogue

Yes. This has a dedicated block for itself.

The use of colours here finally gives us an understanding of why Mia and Seb couldn’t have made it together without a compromise. All the times Seb could’ve chosen Mia over his ambition, over his dreams.

The sequence strengthens the case of their decided doom because they could never, would never settle for one hue harmony in their lives.

The contrasting moments where they depict the road not taken are more warmly lit, saturated further to accentuate the love they could’ve had, the life they could’ve shared.

With the Epilogue’s final notes hanging in the air, the club is dimly lit by the three primary colours: red, yellow, and blue. For once Chazelle gives Seb and Mia a balance.

Conclusion

The film is an earnest, heartfelt ode to all foolish dreamers and the dreams that do or don’t come true in Los Angeles, the turns life takes, and the sacrifices one makes to get ahead in life. The music is given its own space to explore character dynamics and not just walk the plot further, making it that much more special and otherworldly.

The use of mise-en-scene and the characters only goes on to show how this movie saved not one but two dying genres; jazz and musicals.?

City of stars, you never shined so brightly.