I didn't want to feel things

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2020)

First film ever that made me tear up like a baby. While probably being my favourite musical, the songs in this film weren't really what stuck out as exceptional to me. It's just beautifully shot, well acted with great dialogue, and it perfectly encapsulates emotions of sentiment.
I must admit this film's hard to get into at first, but I quickly got past the cheesiness of musicals and was loving it from Ryan Gosling's introduction onward.
I also love the way the messages are portrayed. The grim depiction of conflict between dreams and relationships. The way it communicates (with jazz) how art needs to evolve to survive, and how that's not necessarily a bad thing. This film itself is a modern reincarnation of 70s musicals, poetically playing into its own metaphor about helping old art-forms survive. Something about the characters just hit especially close to home though - watched it twice so far and still love it.