La La Land
Maybe following your dreams is putting those you love first, pursuing someone was the love of art, music, the movies, a job in this tragic, muscial powerhouse of a film. The classic incredible blocking, songwriting and soul engaging jazz is brought to new heights by cinema, the camera moving into the stars with this episodic, giant yet grounded love story.
When drama becomes too much it becomes song, and when sorrow is too strong it becomes cinematic, and when physicality becomes too intense it becomes dance;these two intertwine in a la la land of promises and dreams. Immersive, fascinating cinematography, beaituful layering editing and use of colour like a play. The facially dynamic Emma stone plays an ambitious actor with naturalism, charm and believability as this vision of jazz and passion arrives in the stern yet passionate jazz Pianist played by Ryan Gosling.
The lighting, sound of theatre brought to free moving space, spotlights, lampshades, night skies and lampposts, each scene, location a set piece you could imagine on stage as a live muscial. The spotlight when you lock in and ignore all others, the sacrifice of art embezzled and grounded into the fools that dream, from traffic and failure to a false la la land of promises. And seb's.
The fantasy of Hollywood is realised in full colour, song and emotion and it was dream shattering and heartbreaking. Following their relationship was so engaging, but you felt it in every aspect of what makes cinema. Humiliating auditions, humbling one woman plays, and a rapidly successful pianist devotion to eachother brought their dreams but without eachother in it.
Why couldn't they stay together? Why couldn't you do that? Why did you follow your dreams? All of those questions are amalgamated into a soul punching, glamorous sideshow of what could have been, if they put their heart first. The motif that follows these moments is just so sad.
A love story brought to the stars, giving everything it's all until there's none left for those who gave you it. But you'd do it all again like her aunt. The love of art, jazz, music, theatre is an appreciation of communication, conflict and balance. This is brought to a built up relationship, with heartwrenching effects.
I loved how it didn't feel cliche. It carried self awareness but appreciation of the muscial, west end style brought to the full capability of editing a story over years with shots that bring you into and out of reality with devastation. As a pursuer of the arts, this hit hard and combined media in a way film musicals haven't been able to. Pure classic story, sound, performative magnificence.
For the fools who dream of a better life for themselves or others brought in spectacle. Were Emma Stone or Emma Stone the best singers of smallest talented actors who deserved a chance, no, but it brought this story to the immense success it deserves. Follow your dreams but don't let people go who create that dream for you.
Why do we seek to escape through dreams of being served quickly at the coffee shop, being liked by those who matter to you is the most important thing. We see the idea of sucess and failure dance with a camera, western society, musicology and a head full of dreams. Is this start of something wonderful? Or one more dream that I cannot make true. This concept taken to modern muscial extremes.