Ten years later and LA LA LAND's opening sequence still astounds.LA LA LAND, Damien Chazelle's Oscar-winning Technicolor ode to cinema, jazz, and dreamers, returns to cinemas this year to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Many Oscar fans will remember this film as the film that almost won Best Picture, only to be leapfrogged by the queer coming-of-age film Moonlight, resulting in an Oscar snafu to end all award snafus. However, its legacy goes beyond awards talk. With how the cinematic landscape and viewership has vastly changed since its release, the film is a powerful reminder that cinema is still best experienced in the film theaters...
While my response to the film has changed since this rewatch - from unabashed passion to level-headed adoration - one thing that remains to this day is my awe for its world building. While set in contemporary times, the film is two steps away from grounded realism and headed towards Old Hollywood gloss. The result is not only a hollow pastiche, but a moving evocation of the emotional undercurrent contained within its protagonists, aspiring actress Mia and frustrated musician Sebastian.
Both dreamers are in Los Angeles, the land that spawned classics like Rebel Without a Cause and The Killers, fighting for their dreams in a city overcrowded by like-minded people. One could pinpoint to filmic references that populate the film, with Chazelle mentioning films like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Singin' in the Rain as inspirations. However, the film also makes a point to interrogate the rose-tinted nostalgia these two seem to have in connection to how these two characters relate to the past.
Sebastian's relationship with the past is more explicitly stated. He is a purist by heart, mentioning classic jazz musicians, relishing the authenticity of jazz music and lamenting what has happened to it since. He is then placed in the conundrum when an offer from a previous colleague will give him steady employment in exchange to a modern-sounding rendition of his beloved genre. As this colleague says to his face, "you hold onto the past, but jazz is about the future". His eventual agreement to this bargain puts him on the spot with Mia, knowing him and seeing this as a betrayal of who he is and his dreams.
Mia's connection to the past is more backgrounded than Sebastian, but nevertheless plays a crucial part in her formation as the dreamer that she has become. She recalls watching old films in the library near her house, becoming formative to her desire to pursue acting in Los Angeles at a young age. And during her crucial audition that clinches her breakthrough role, she talks about her aunt who lived in Paris and how she inspired her to become a fool who dream. In turn, her getting this project sealed the end of her relationship with Sebastian.
The parallel pasts of these characters converge, resulting in conflicts that paved the way to their futures. In this regard, the film's world building makes sense. Aided by the Oscar-winning cinematography by Linus Sandgren and production design by David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, the influence of the past shading the present film's visual language is brought to life. Couple that with Justin Hurwitz's sweeping music and the film is an evocative rumination on how the past haunts the present.
This is even present in the film's climax, with Mia and Sebastian seeing an alternative life as they look back. But the film is not content with imitation. In fact, the film undergoes a subtle deconstruction of this nostalgia. The film's blasting colors become more muted as we approach the denouement. In fact, compare the first scene (sunny, vibrant colors) to the final scene (black and blues) and you'll see the trajectory of this immersive world building. Just look at these shots:
Such is my love for the world that Chazelle has created - with its visuals and music - that I even made this video with a couple of workmates back in 2017:
How do you feel about La La Land, ten years since its original release? In addition to that, which film world would you want to be in? I'm not expecting anyone to answer Salò or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but please let me know your answers.