Fantasy against reality.

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2020)

La La Land again presents Damien Chazelle's recurring theme about the sacrifices necessary to achieve a dream, as well as in Whiplash, Grand Piano and later First Man.
Chazelle is aware that the story of La La Land is a story told many times, and that is why he tells it from the genre that was exploited a long time ago in Hollywood.
With this Chazelle brings a duality between fantasy (the musical) and reality. In fact it is the reality that as the film progresses, it is gaining prominence, that is why the musical numbers are reduced. This is warned to us from the beginning, with the station markers (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) that in addition to serving as time markers, they warn us of everything that will happen.
So in winter, everything is cold and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) rejects Mia (Emma Stone). In spring the love between them blooms and they have their first musical number together. In summer their love heats up, things start to become problematic, in fact this season ends with the song "Start a Fire". And in autumn it is when the problems get bigger and their love falls.
This is how Chazelle also criticizes the current human inability to make commitments to another, that is, to fall in love, and thus grow along with their dreams.