By Sofia Rudus ’26
There is a heartwarming feeling that is felt when watching romantic movies; everything is bigger and brighter and people’s feelings are strewn across the whole screen. However, in “La La Land,” the movie captures the feeling of romance through movement and music. Love is depicted differently. It has a fluidity that is unique and comforting. When I was younger, I realized how beautiful the movie was because of this exact reason. I instantly fell in love and the soundtrack is what stood out the most to me. Maybe for its various beats and rhythms or something more complex; my younger self could not pinpoint. Still, even today, the movie makes me feel happy and excited for what may be mirrored in my future, and I feel a sense of nostalgia that reminds me of when I first saw it.
“La La Land” was released on Dec. 9, 2016, as a musical romance. With a runtime of two hours and eight minutes, the movie is an ode to classic Hollywood films without the stereotypical ending. The story follows two characters, Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and how they balance their relationship and dreams. This role is different from their usual roles that do not require singing and have dance routines, however, though singing may be new, the distinctive features that we see throughout other films stand out in their performance in La La Land. Their stronger attributes move the story along in true movie star fashion. Gosling’s charm and Stone’s beauty overtake the screen and help to create chemistry with each other’s characters.
The director of “La La Land,” Damien Chazelle, is known for his other works “Whiplash”(2014) and “Babylon”(2022). Chazelle’s intentional use of lighting and color throughout the film was similar to Whiplash, which seems to be a distinctive characteristic of his films. The lighting was used to depict emotion and a change in the relationship or themselves. In the beginning, bright colors contrast Mia and Sebastian’s appearance to show their thwarted dreams in Hollywood and music. Then, primarily colors were used to depict certain traits. Mia, in a yellow dress, represents optimism and perfection, and Sebastian, in a red shirt, represents traits like proactiveness and passion. These colors are later incorporated into each other’s outfits to show their relationship grow. In moments of huge steps in their relationship, a dark indigo color is displayed on the screen, which is the color of the combined primary colors. This color ties the movie together and to an end. Interestingly, the primary colors are combined together to create this color, just like how their story combines together and ends.
Music was another distinctive characteristic of this movie, which was composed and orchestrated by Justin Hurwitz. Hurwitz has worked with Chazelle on many of his other movies. “La La Land’s” most memorable songs like “Mia & Sebastian’s Theme,” “A Lovely Night,” and “Another Day of Sun” are examples of how fluidity through music creates nuance in the movie. For example, in the song “A Lovely Night,” Mia and Sebastian dance and sing about how they will never be together, yet we can see through their body language that this may not be the case. They use their movement instead of words to describe how they feel. This flow can be seen through other dance routines as well, like the song, “Planetarium.” They dance in the stars and move through each other like how stars collide and create new, magnificent, celestial bodies.
I recommend this movie for people who enjoy a lively movie about the realities of needing to balance chasing your dreams or finding love and staying comfortable. When telling most people about this movie, they are intrigued and interested, whether they have seen it or not.
On the other hand, some say this movie is boring, but similar to a lot of movies and performances there is more than meets the eye. Movies are not always what you see right away, but what you can reflect on after. Movies are complex and are more than a plot. There is beauty in how everything is intentionally made. “La La Land” is that movie. The plot is familiar, but the details are what truly make the movie leave a lasting impression.
The Raider Press 