La La Land : A Colourful, Full Of Hope Love Story For Hearts Who Dream
- lucenajoyce
- Feb 27, 2017
- 2 min read
La La Land is an homage to dreamers and what they gain and loose when they go after their dreams.
The film directed by Damien Chazelle alternates between reality and fantasy, a dynamic that enhances the love story between Mia (Emma Stone), a barista, aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a retro-obsessive jazz pianist. This is particularly visible in the Griffith Observatory were they dance surrounded by stars.
The romantic duo, she dreams in becoming a star, like most actors she´s one in the crowd of a cruel industry and he is passionate about his music, which conflicts with the everyday life. They are both dreamers and madly in love with each other but their ultimate love is their art. Even though most of the film Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling characters are surrounded by stylized sets and exuberant productions; underneath it all, there is a depth in the way love is portrayed, as an imperfect feeling, which creates proximity with audiences.
The opening scene, a Los Angeles traffic jam which turns into a street performance is triumphal, uplifted, it give us the vision of the dream land Hollywood portraits. Excellent choreography (Mandy Moore), colorful, vibrant, that makes the public fall in love since the beginning.
Chazelle pays a clear tribute to the classic musicals of the 40s and 50s, from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, iconic couple of that era to Cole Porter and the use of CinemaScope. All this wrapped by the nouvelle vague’s peculiar mix of romanticism and realism seen in Jacques Demy musical, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
La La Land is inspirational, a breath of fresh air. It takes you for a ride with the characters and makes you want to belong to a city of stars that can be anywhere, as long as there are dreamers.
Comments