LaLa Land; You are pure magic.
(Press play to this magical song before you start reading)
For the first time I hoped that a film that did not discussed political issues was awarded the “best motion picture” triumph at the Oscars.
Lately my mind tends to make conspiracy theories in this type of happenings, what where the chances that in the last few minutes of the transmission with the historically lowest audience rate this could happen. But okay, let’s put aside what happened this Sunday.
Today, it is difficult to find movies that make you feel. LaLa Land is simply a masterpiece filled with an unexpected mix of emotions. Defined in its genre as “comedy, drama, musical, and romance,” this unusual genre combination is one of the reasons why you’ll find yourself crying, laughing, and dancing at the same time.
Let’s start by talking about the films name, La La Land is a way of naming the emblematic city and capital of the Angels’ dreams, but it’s also an expression used to define a state of mind “to think that things that Are completely impossible can happen, instead of understanding how things really are.”
The plot of the film talks about Mia and Sebastian, a couple of young artists aspiring to fulfill their dreams. Mia dreams of being an actress and triumphing in Hollywood, while Sebastian dreams of opening his own music bar to pay tribute to the musical geniuses of Jazz. Throughout their history, they face a series of decisions that threaten the love they have for each other. At the end of the film, the stunning French director Damien Chazelle disorients us with a double outcome. A first outcome where they sacrifice their love, pursue their dreams and achieve success. And the second, within what is probably an idealized alternate reality, in which both achieve their dreams and stay together.
[Mia: [singing] Here’s to the ones who dream / Foolish as they may seem. / Here’s to the hearts that ache. / Here’s to the mess we make.]
To me, the themes that the film touches are nostalgia through a lost love and hand in hand with this first theme, making sacrifices to fulfill your dreams.
This film is not simply a ‘movie’, it’s dreams through music, it’s art through photography, it’s humor through a magnificent script. The delicacy and perfection you find in all areas is simply to be admired.
Now let’s talk about music, (of course, it is a musical) but this musical is very different from all. It is a musical that never loses sight of the importance of accompanying each song with extraordinary shots. The fusion of each musical note, colorful scenes, brilliant performances and a perfect story with the theme of dreams, nostalgia and sacrifice is the perfect formula that manages to make LaLa Land an unparalleled masterpiece.
[Sebastian: This is the dream! It’s conflict and it’s compromise, and it’s very, very exciting!]
LaLa Land is an emotional tribute to the great works of cinema that have marked history over time, but located within a contemporary context. Achieving to go back to other times without losing the contemporaneity of a film is almost impossible to achieve, nevertheless LaLa Land does it in an masterly way. It is in short, a modern musical and a deep journey of nostalgia to the golden cinema.
It’s 14 Oscar nominations, which made film history, were fully deserved. And even more deserved was it’s triumph at six of the most transcendental categories the Academy rewards.
LaLaLand gave me so much hope that other filmamakers and producers continue to create films that trascend, inspire and most importanly make us dream and our human spirit dance.
I end with this: LaLa Land, Thank you for reminding me of the magic of cinema.
[Mia: I’m always going to love you.
Sebastian: I’m always gonna love you, too.]
