Damien Chazelle (USA: 2016, 128 min.)

“People love what other people are passionate about.” -Mia

Pure. Hypnotic. Mesmerizing. These are just some of the words that come to mind when thinking about Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, but one that stands out above the rest is magical. La La Land is the type of film that resurrects the magic in the movies. It is everything beautiful about filmmaking, about film-watching, and about the art of cinema. It is the type of movie that can change your perspective of how movies are made truly putting on display the passion that goes into directing, writing, composing, performing—there is no aspect of the film that is done without exorbitant passion. Chazelle excels in building his lead characters through the performers in a way that makes it feel like Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone were built to play Seb and Mia. They are overflowing with natural chemistry that draws you in from their first appearance and emotionally absorbs you into every emotion they undergo. Although Emma Stone does slightly outplay Gosling in singing and arc as the story lends itself to lean in her direction, the pair is a pure delight to watch every step of the way to where your heart sings and aches directly alongside them. In composing, Justin Hurwitz crafts what should go down as one of the best efforts in original score of the decade. Not only is the score entrancing, but the overall sound design is composed in effortless harmony with the story, intertwining music and narrative in a graceful balance. As for the overall work of Chazelle as a writer-director, he confirms his position as a master in modern filmmaking executing an undeniable technical brilliance. He transports you into La La Land, a world that is an absorbing experience in itself with a beautiful production design captured in entrancing long takes that set the tone for a beautiful story, and one of the most captivating endings you will see on a screen.

At its core, La La Land is a love letter to the classic era of Hollywood, instilled with references to Singin’ in the Rain and Casablanca among other films. It seems in every great director’s career they pursue a film that is a true passion project evoking every sense of who they are through acknowledging their influences, and that film for Damien Chazelle is La La Land. The romance, the music, the technical mastery is all on display for the audience to witness wrapped up in unbounded charisma and emotion. Although there is a suspension of disbelief and the narrative is more experiential than grounded at moments, an appreciation for pastiche will take you to places a film can rarely touch. The musical numbers are never overdone and always contribute to the story, but what is often even more striking than the consistently great soundtrack is the use of silence to deliver powerful glimpses of reality on the edges of fantasy. While on the outside it may seem like a movie about love, it proves even deeper tackling love, ambition, and sacrifice to devastating effect.

La La Land is a film with a heart that bridges its own pulse with your own, its narrative coursing through your veins through the final moments of a piano solo imagining what could’ve been, but accepting what is. The film shows us that love is deeper than romance, love is bringing out the best in each other, love is selfless, love is enduring even when it means living separate lives. Only a film crafted with love can tell us this, and that is exactly what La La Land does. Watching this film was one of those rare experiences in cinema that means everything to you as a person, unexplainably staying with you forever. It fills your heart with joy, replaces it with sadness, and ultimately leaves you with wonder in your eyes in a way that can only be described as an act of magic. Thank you Damien Chazelle for bringing magic to life.