La La Land

I have kinda been putting this movie off because I didn’t think it was gonna be my type of thing however I asked one of my friends to pick a film for me to watch outta my DVDs and it got picked so thanks nellie! As I started watching I was confused and I didn’t really like it and honestly didn’t want to watch it. The intro really threw me, I didn’t understand why they were all dancing but after watching it, I have thoughts (probably wrong but it’s what I think so it’s right) I took the dancing as an emotional like counterpart for love so everyone was dancing bar Mia and Seb, I think that this sets the precedent that they are not in love truly, with anyone. I loved the scene where Seb and Mia “first met”. Also crazy seeing J.K Simmons in this, absolutely love him, one of my favourite actors. Mia kinda fell instantly while Seb felt nothing, really hurt then gradually it plays this strangers to lovers trope which is sweet but I loved how completely uninterested they seemed, it felt real, the whole movie felt genuine and the characters felt like people which I really loved, it was never really cheesy or over the top. The song about the view and how they wished they shared it with other people was great, I love the chair duet thing they did, reminded me of when I did something similar in school for drama. I’m taking the tap dancing to be symbolism for butterflies, the speed of the heart type thing. They had feelings, they had chemistry but it wasn’t developed. I also loved how the car was literally right there. Then they meet again and it happens gradually. Getting closer and closer. The one thing I really loved was their different passions. He loved jazz and she loved acting and earlier he said to his sister how he couldn’t date someone who didn’t like jazz. He teaches her to appreciate jazz and says how everyone always talks over it and they should listen. She then forgets she has an occasion with her boyfriend and leaves Seb hanging alone at the cinema, but she hears the jazz over the speakers and instead of everyone talking over it, she tunes in and it filters out all the talking. I love this, it showed how she took an interest in his passions and she genuinely cared. She ran off they held hands and they almost kissed but got interrupted, then they go off and recreate the scene from the movie which was so sick. The flying scene was goofy, however they did it, it looked bad. But again they danced, this time, hand in hand, a progression from the tap dancing until they kiss. Such a sweet scene and I really loved it. They get into a relationship. I thought it was quite funny him going down the wrong way on a one way street and then having to reverse back. Gradually they get closer, but Seb hears her talking about how he doesn’t have a stable job and thinks he needs to get one so he goes into the band but the band takes up so much time and Mia gets pushed away, this is shown so well, while he’s playing and she’s in the crowd physically getting pushed away. Their fight was so sad and tense and gut-wrenching. Also they fought over the top of the jazz which goes back to what Seb was saying about not appreciating jazz, he got into a band playing music he didn’t want to play and he changed his dream because he thinks that’s what’s needed. He takes a dig at Mia for being an actress, ouch. Mia leaves, such a horrible scene. Then I can’t quite remember what happens next, but Mia planning this play and Seb being too busy doing a photoshoot to see it, aughhh, actually so sad and she ends things with them. It was horrible, the clash in passion, they both are chasing dreams. Mia heads home. Seb finds her and gets her to audition for this film, she gets it and 5 years pass, she has a husband, she has a child. She has his club and she goes to the club and he plays their song and they lock eyes and the most GUT-WRENCHING, TEAR JERKING, SAD DEPRESSING SCENE PLAYS. Their ideal life. The one they couldn’t live and I sobbed and I sobbed and then it shows them in the crowd, pans to the stage and he’s playing the piano, back to reality. Painful, she doesn’t even clap, she just stares and then her and her husband leave. Before they leave they exchange one last glance and they smile and it ends and I SOB MORE. This movie was amazing, also two movies in a row, crazy for me. Imma see if I can do one tomorrow but amazing film, it reminded me of Whiplash because it had the ideals of chasing your dream even if it hurts and how that can effect you and the relationships around you and how you can achieve your dream even after the pain, which in the end they did. It also reminded me of the Disney movie Soul with them fading into “the zone” when playing music and finally it reminded me of 500 days of summer, how it’s okay to move past the ones you love and maybe it’s the right people but the wrong time. I think this film was right people but there wasn’t a right time. They needed to chase their dreams and I believe that they couldn’t of done that if they fell in love. There is also definitely something to talk about with the lighting but I couldn’t think of anything. I love the cinematography, I loved the visuals, the lighting, the characters felt real, they felt like people and not perfect. It was great, I’m glad it ended the way it did, it felt real. I think the whole film had a sense of yearning, passion and appreciation. Throughout all of it, they yearned for their dreams but they yearned for each other. Their passions drove them forward in different directions but there is this appreciation of what you’ve been through, they both faced a journey and changed from it and that’s okay, to grow is to change and to be changed is okay. I loved it, made me really think and I really felt deeply with this movie, it’s hard to let go of people and they both have a mutual love which they won’t lose and that’s sad but it’s okay. 'Cause I think it hurts a little bit too much.’