La La Land

A visually gorgeous masterpiece that whirls you away into a fantasy of dreams and romance and pulls you back down to earth as quickly as it let you soar.  Watching these two characters grapple to maintain their love for their art and each other while trying to make a living is completely gripping, utterly heartbreaking and in a strange way ultimately hopeful in that this love played such a vital role for them, even if that joy of finding their career and goals is bittersweet. The ending montage is possibly the best scene in the film, as we see the love that could have been but exists forever in the music and the acting that Mia and Seb have found their success in. And the smile, the knowing smile, the smile that acknowledges the undying love but also the shared success that would never have been possible if they’d stayed together, and in a beautiful way it’s their love and support of each other and their dreams that pushes them apart, a tragic but powerful portrayal of love in a style that seems almost entirely set up for a classic happy ending.  Damien Chazelle you genius. Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem.