"La La Land" – A Visually Stunning Musical with an Emotionally Engulfing Afterglow

Rating: 9/10 (23 January 2017)

Perhaps, a little late to talk about the "The Most Popular/Admired/Loved/Binged Film" of the year and award season alike. Nevertheless, it proves that no matter how much the time passes people shall come, watch, admire and easily fall in love with La La Land.
I found myself at an incomprehensible state of joy in the first-half of this musical romantic-comedy-drama, with simmering excitement amidst pompous song and dance as we entered the 'City of Angels' with "Another Day of Sun" – where each morning brought prospects, and nothing seemed impossible; just like LA's weather of bright sunlight all seasons-round. Through those seasons, happens the chance meeting of "Mia" (Emma Stone.), a barista aspiring to be a screen-star, and "Sebastian" (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated Jazz- pianist with the dream of opening a club. As their paths entwine with apparent initial dislike in "A Lovely Night", but behind vivid chemistry they eventually fall for each other – and there is no surprise at that with them being "the Modern-Day Classic On-Screen Couple". Their life and struggles ahead cause instant humour and at the same time rouse deep insecurity towards career and life, for there is price on every wish. While we go through heart wrenching trauma from failures and letdowns, we surprisingly feel them as if they're our own; for we've known it's not mere pleasure, but victory to have attained happiness.
Thus, we rejoice in what Sebastian stated – "This is the dream - its conflict and compromise, (and) its very, very exciting!" – which also happens to be the very emotion the film's most-beautiful sequence - a climactic surreal montage rife with studio-dance, art, colour, sight and sound of outright living the fantasy. By the time end-credits roll in we may find ourselves tearing up with a rekindled bittersweet- love for life and dreams.
With remarkably transforming a simple plot into a romantic- Cinemascopic-homage to Hollywood's golden-classics without an iota of cliché, writer-director Damien Chazelle has outdid his feat of the intense "Whiplash" and it won't be a surprise that he'd be called "the youngest auteur of our times". Justin Hurwitz's musical- score is touted to be the finest in the last few decades and carries a subtle-tenderness – be it "City of Stars", "Someone in the Crowd" or "The Fools who Dream" - in those heartwarming and peppy tracks through the sharply put-together Tom-Cross's editing. Not to forget Stone and Gosling, who are artistically gifted performers and make the whole journey so melancholically beautiful and yet, playful.
Winner of a record-breaking 7 Golden Globes, it won't be a surprise that we hear rewarding news from The Academy, as well. To the ones who haven't seen it till now, "What are You Waiting for?"; and to the ones who have (including me), hustle for another preview.
A applaudably-glad "9" to the almost-perfect feature made in a long while!