I love La La Land. I truly love it. It is worthy of a blog post, and all the other hype. This is my part review, part tribute, and partly me worshipping Damien Chazelle's creation.
The way I describe it is an adult's High School Musical, and I mean that as the finest of compliments. It had all the magic and warmth of a Disney movie, but with depth and grit, beautiful art direction, sophisticated melodies and cinematic precision. Okay, so maybe it's much more than an adult's High School Musical.
The use of bold block colours created a harmonious simplicity amidst elaborate dance sequences and set changes. Many scenes were shot in one take, giving the film a realness and fluidity. In addition to this, the dancing and singing wasn't flawless. It was fantastic, of course, but it also felt real, and accessible. A lot of musicals, understandably, provoke the reaction of 'that would just never happen'. But with La La Land, the audible raspy tones of Ryan Gosling's voice or Emma Stone's laugh in City of Stars made it seem genuine, feasible. The idea of Mia and Sebastian tap dancing on an empty Los Angeles road didn't feel like fiction, nor did their dance among the stars in the planetarium.
There were nods to the old Hollywood films it claims to pay homage to, attention to detail key for noticing the references when watching. Equally, it felt relevant today, due to it's combination of sincerity yet self-awareness.
It ignited a child-like spark of hope inside me. I came out feeling like the world was tough, but it could be magical, and that it was okay to view it like it was magical. I felt inspired and emotionally overwhelmed, and now I want to watch it and go through the journey all over again.
