WARNING: The following review contains spoilers!
When we talk about La La Land, the unconventional (and arguably) sad ending first and foremost comes to mind. Why? Flash forward 5 years into the movie and Mia (Emma Stone) is shown living her dream with all the glitz and glamour, notably now the star having the iced coffee served to but alongside her not the lover we hoped for it to be. As she embraces her child (IKR?!), the reality of the situation kicks in, leaving us wondering what in heavens has happened to Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), the jazz musician whom she loved throughout the somewhat entirety of the film.
Then follows the 'chance' decision of Mia deciding to reroute the plans with her now husband one night shows how some moments are 'meant to be' although some affairs are not. This decision ultimately brings Mia to Sebastian - finally he has opened his club 'Seb's' and she sits listening to him play their love song. It is also this final dream sequence which plays with your mind, the emphatic love story in all its colours and how it could have been. Maybe this is how the movie should have ended?
Though surely, the ending is what contributes to La La Land being so great. Nothing is black and white and as the song finishes we are brought back to this bleak reality where both Mia and Sebastian are not together. And it is in their final glance where they lock eyes and turn away to their own lives do we accept that they never will be. But-- they smile. In this smile, we discover how La La Land is truly a movie about dreams, aspirations and desires and simply not all focal to love and the promising happily ever after.
La La Land follows a fruitful story with moments of ambiguity and this is what makes it real. It is your typical love story but throw in some unlikely encounters, the classic everyday job, the sad goodbyes and instantly- this is relatable. This is what people like. Then throw in some happiness (woop! dreams achieved) but then slide in the inevitable truth and the reality of certain situations. And just maybe, maybe this is actually what people love.
