La La Land: Why I CRY Every Time
Warning: Spoiler Alerts Ahead!
La La Land is a beautiful movie about LA - the City of Angels, as well as the idealistic aspirations of those with their heads in the clouds, those who try to make it in the entertainment industry. The story follows the lives of Mia, an aspiring actress who currently works as a barista, and Sebastian, a musician with a dream to start his own jazz club* in LA. He takes on temporary and sometimes embarrassing gigs around town to make a living.
From the very beginning, the movie is stylistically whimsical and seems more a Broadway musical, with people singing and dancing around their cars while waiting in traffic on the congested, smoggy freeway ("Another Day of Sun"). The bright primary-colored dresses of the roommates who go looking for "Someone in the Crowd" sparkles with youthful energy in the early evening. The demarcation of the movie into distinct seasons reminds the viewers about the passage of time, the months that go by as our characters' progress in establishing careers lies in uncertainty.
All throughout the movie, you have this constant juxtaposition of reality and fantasy. The Planetarium scene, which takes place at Griffith Observatory, is a wonderful example of this special contradiction. Are Mia and Sebastian really floating among the stars, or is that scene just a metaphor for the magical atmosphere created between the couple? There exists this constant push and pull between two ways that, frankly, "La La Land," is portrayed. The way the movie is presented, you'd expect it to be a happily-ever after story, where the two main characters get married and enjoy wonderful lives in acting and music (warning: spoiler alert ahead)!
That's not what happens. The couple decides to part ways near the end of the movie - for better, or for worse. In the final scene, Mia and another man who is her husband step into Sebastian's club, just as Sebastian welcomes in the crowd. The two protagonists make eye contact, leading Sebastian to stutter before introducing his solo.
The epilogue makes me cry. Every. Single. Time. I interpret Sebastian's final piano solo as his wish for an alternate reality where things worked out with Mia. In this universe, he decides to stay with her, instead of parting ways to follow their own dreams. We see a complete amalgamation of every scene that is meaningful to the couple. After Sebastian finishes his restaurant performance, he rushes in and kisses Mia, instead of angrily storming past her. Instead of insisting that he play Christmas music only, his boss is jolly and sees the couple out the door. When Keith steps in to talk about a career opportunity, Sebastian waves him off with a "Not now." And it is... very artificial. The video montage and musical montage traverse through all the motifs used throughout the movies, woven through theatrical stages, home video, and shadow puppetry - almost every medium known for artistry and storytelling. What the viewers almost expect is a fairy-tale ending, where Mia and Sebastian did not break up. They move in together, decorate their house together, travel to Paris, and have a child.
In reality, there is no fairy tale ending. In the same way that Mia and Sebastian's chance encounter on the hillside was a waste of "A Lovely Night," there are so many chance encounters in this relationship that were less than ideal, and grounded in the realities of having to follow the rules and pay the bills. Sebastian reimagined Mia's capstone performance as a play that captivated the hearts of a full house, with himself supporting her from the front row. What really happened is that he rushes in late from his own photo shoot to find an abandoned theater that was previously sparsely attended. There is rarely a perfect romantic set-up. The relationship itself is embedded in the place of Los Angeles, the setting of the story. The ups and downs, the fighting and the drama are closely tied to the frustrations of their career aspirations, and the push and pull of different career opportunities - the stability of a pop star sell-out, or the instability of a unique visionary who has to risk it all. When is the dream reachable, and when is it unrealistic?
This brings me back to the theme of contradictions between reality and fantasy. On one hand, we young adults are aspirational, and we want to change the world, or at least achieve the goals we set for ourselves. We want to create something influential, and leave something meaningful in the world. On the other hand, we want stability, and sometimes make the call as to when a goal is not realistic anymore. We want to settle down, or settle for less, and be comfortable. Sometimes that involves the factor of romance. We want to meet our soulmates, the people who inevitably mold us, help us mature, and help us learn new perspectives about life. Sometimes, we must make sacrifices for the people we love, and other times, we must pursue what we are called to do in life.
I am sure the audience wants Sebastian and Mia to stay together - after all, the whole movie is about them. However, if Sebastian chose to stay with Mia, he would never fulfill his own dream of starting his jazz club, the one he wanted to name "Chicken on a Stick." In choosing to let Mia go, Sebastian is choosing to embrace one part of his identity, at the expense of a possible future with someone. He is letting go of the beautiful story that has been woven about the both of them together, and understanding the sorrow that comes with that decision.
It is not a perfect ending, but it is also not a perfect life.
In the end, Sebastian reaches his goals of starting a jazz club. He does not name his club "Chicken on a Stick." In the last scene, we see a neon sign that reads, "Seb's." Mia's influence lives on. And, so does the influence from the people we let into our lives. Even if we find that we do not end up with someone happily ever after, they teach us important lessons about what we will become, and see deeper into our souls than we could on our own.
--
So bring on the rebels, the ripples from pebbles
The painters and poets and plays -
And here's to the fools who dream
Crazy as they may seem -
Here's to the hearts that break,
Here's to the mess we make.
- "Audition," performed by Emma Stone
--
*I do think that Sebastian's desires to "save jazz" should have been foregrounded with an understanding about the history of jazz, which is deeply rooted in Black culture and history in the United States. I absolutely adore this movie, and believe this attribution would have given the first jazz musicians much more credit.
La La Land is a beautiful movie about LA - the City of Angels, as well as the idealistic aspirations of those with their heads in the clouds, those who try to make it in the entertainment industry. The story follows the lives of Mia, an aspiring actress who currently works as a barista, and Sebastian, a musician with a dream to start his own jazz club* in LA. He takes on temporary and sometimes embarrassing gigs around town to make a living.
From the very beginning, the movie is stylistically whimsical and seems more a Broadway musical, with people singing and dancing around their cars while waiting in traffic on the congested, smoggy freeway ("Another Day of Sun"). The bright primary-colored dresses of the roommates who go looking for "Someone in the Crowd" sparkles with youthful energy in the early evening. The demarcation of the movie into distinct seasons reminds the viewers about the passage of time, the months that go by as our characters' progress in establishing careers lies in uncertainty.
All throughout the movie, you have this constant juxtaposition of reality and fantasy. The Planetarium scene, which takes place at Griffith Observatory, is a wonderful example of this special contradiction. Are Mia and Sebastian really floating among the stars, or is that scene just a metaphor for the magical atmosphere created between the couple? There exists this constant push and pull between two ways that, frankly, "La La Land," is portrayed. The way the movie is presented, you'd expect it to be a happily-ever after story, where the two main characters get married and enjoy wonderful lives in acting and music (warning: spoiler alert ahead)!
That's not what happens. The couple decides to part ways near the end of the movie - for better, or for worse. In the final scene, Mia and another man who is her husband step into Sebastian's club, just as Sebastian welcomes in the crowd. The two protagonists make eye contact, leading Sebastian to stutter before introducing his solo.
The epilogue makes me cry. Every. Single. Time. I interpret Sebastian's final piano solo as his wish for an alternate reality where things worked out with Mia. In this universe, he decides to stay with her, instead of parting ways to follow their own dreams. We see a complete amalgamation of every scene that is meaningful to the couple. After Sebastian finishes his restaurant performance, he rushes in and kisses Mia, instead of angrily storming past her. Instead of insisting that he play Christmas music only, his boss is jolly and sees the couple out the door. When Keith steps in to talk about a career opportunity, Sebastian waves him off with a "Not now." And it is... very artificial. The video montage and musical montage traverse through all the motifs used throughout the movies, woven through theatrical stages, home video, and shadow puppetry - almost every medium known for artistry and storytelling. What the viewers almost expect is a fairy-tale ending, where Mia and Sebastian did not break up. They move in together, decorate their house together, travel to Paris, and have a child.
In reality, there is no fairy tale ending. In the same way that Mia and Sebastian's chance encounter on the hillside was a waste of "A Lovely Night," there are so many chance encounters in this relationship that were less than ideal, and grounded in the realities of having to follow the rules and pay the bills. Sebastian reimagined Mia's capstone performance as a play that captivated the hearts of a full house, with himself supporting her from the front row. What really happened is that he rushes in late from his own photo shoot to find an abandoned theater that was previously sparsely attended. There is rarely a perfect romantic set-up. The relationship itself is embedded in the place of Los Angeles, the setting of the story. The ups and downs, the fighting and the drama are closely tied to the frustrations of their career aspirations, and the push and pull of different career opportunities - the stability of a pop star sell-out, or the instability of a unique visionary who has to risk it all. When is the dream reachable, and when is it unrealistic?
This brings me back to the theme of contradictions between reality and fantasy. On one hand, we young adults are aspirational, and we want to change the world, or at least achieve the goals we set for ourselves. We want to create something influential, and leave something meaningful in the world. On the other hand, we want stability, and sometimes make the call as to when a goal is not realistic anymore. We want to settle down, or settle for less, and be comfortable. Sometimes that involves the factor of romance. We want to meet our soulmates, the people who inevitably mold us, help us mature, and help us learn new perspectives about life. Sometimes, we must make sacrifices for the people we love, and other times, we must pursue what we are called to do in life.
I am sure the audience wants Sebastian and Mia to stay together - after all, the whole movie is about them. However, if Sebastian chose to stay with Mia, he would never fulfill his own dream of starting his jazz club, the one he wanted to name "Chicken on a Stick." In choosing to let Mia go, Sebastian is choosing to embrace one part of his identity, at the expense of a possible future with someone. He is letting go of the beautiful story that has been woven about the both of them together, and understanding the sorrow that comes with that decision.
It is not a perfect ending, but it is also not a perfect life.
In the end, Sebastian reaches his goals of starting a jazz club. He does not name his club "Chicken on a Stick." In the last scene, we see a neon sign that reads, "Seb's." Mia's influence lives on. And, so does the influence from the people we let into our lives. Even if we find that we do not end up with someone happily ever after, they teach us important lessons about what we will become, and see deeper into our souls than we could on our own.
--
So bring on the rebels, the ripples from pebbles
The painters and poets and plays -
And here's to the fools who dream
Crazy as they may seem -
Here's to the hearts that break,
Here's to the mess we make.
- "Audition," performed by Emma Stone
--
*I do think that Sebastian's desires to "save jazz" should have been foregrounded with an understanding about the history of jazz, which is deeply rooted in Black culture and history in the United States. I absolutely adore this movie, and believe this attribution would have given the first jazz musicians much more credit.
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