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| La La Land (2016) - By Damien Chazelle |
La La Land is a romantic musical comedy written and directed by Damien Chazelle. Set in modern-day Los Angeles, La La Land revolves around a struggling jazz musician, Sebastian, and an aspiring actress, Mia, who get caught between their dreams and their fragile love affair. The movie stars starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in the lead roles. La La Land features a cameo from J.K. Simmons who had won an Academy Award for Whiplash—Chazelle's previous directorial venture. La La Land premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2016, where Emma Stone won the Best Actress Volpi Cup. The principal photography took only 42 days to complete.
Vintage Chazelle, La La Land is classic Hollywood. It is so full of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, James Stewart, Kim Novak, and other movie gods of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Although, we don't really get to see them but we can almost feel their presence. Every frame of La La Land reminds us why we adore movies. Although Chazelle dotes on Hollywood's glitzy razzmatazz, he himself comes across as a pretty straightforward fellow and it shows in every scene of La La Land, like it had shown in every scene of Whiplash. Chazelle had written the script 6 years ago but not one was willing to fund it but the success of Whiplash changed everything. And if Whiplash had left any doubts then Chazelle has proven with La La Land that he is here to stay.
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| Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in Damien Chazelle's La La Land |
There is so much one can learn by watching La La Land. The film takes the best of cinema, theatre and music and serves it to us on a platter in a most sumptuous manner. Every sequence of La La Land serves as filmmaking masterclass (take, for example, the spellbinding opening sequence which was shot in just 2 days): Chazelle demonstrates to us the how gritty writing, clever direction, brilliant acting, innovative cinematography, and imaginative mise en scène, choreography & sound (diegetic and non-diegetic) can combine to create cinematic magic. Chazelle, an amateur drummer himself, introduces us to the world of Jazz. But, above all, he uses La La Land as a conduit to teach us the importance of pursuing our dreams.
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| A Still from Damien Chazelle's La La Land |
La La Land makes for a wonderful cinematic experience. It is ebullient and so full of life. And, like all good dramas, it is also painful and heartbreaking at times. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling look so good together that one can go on and one watching them forever. It is as if they were born to play Mia and Sebastian. Their chemistry here reminds of Bergman’s and Bogart’s in Casablanca. And it is certainly not a hyperbole. La La Land may not be the best film to have come out of Hollywood in recent times but it is certainly one of the most creative which makes it an essential viewing for those who love movies. There are no two ways about it. To miss it would be like missing a day in your life. Chazelle is a force to be reckoned with. La La Land marks his foray into the big league. Let's hope that the Chazelle of Whiplash doesn't get left behind.
P.S. La La Land has emerged as a major contender for the Oscars with a record 14 nominations. It has already won 7 Golden Globes.
Rating: 8/10
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