So when I saw the trailer for La La Land (2016) I was beyond excited. For one, it had the old Hollywood spirit- the fashion and set designs were 50s-inspired. It reminded of films such as Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Ha! Don’t be fooled by my knowledge of said films! Rebel was a set text for one of my English classes in senior year of high school, while I watched Tiffany’s out of pure curiosity and I wanted to know why it was so popular and how it remained relevant.

The fact that Emma Stone was a lead also piqued my interest in seeing La La Land. (I wasn’t a huge fan of Ryan Gosling until I saw him in Crazy, Stupid Love (2011) with Stone. And yes, I’ve watched The Notebook (2004) and I don’t know… I didn’t like it- I felt it was too dramatic and… overrated. Though, I adore Rachel McAdams.) I’m a huuuuuge fan of Emma Stone. I really liked her in Easy A (2011), but I only really took notice of her when she played Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), and by that time, I knew she and Andrew Garfield (who plays Spidey) are faces to look out for. I watched their interviews and followed their careers. THEY WERE SO CUTE OK.




They were so genuine (as individuals and as a couple)! And you know how I love strongly like genuine people. They were just so real in front of the cameras. And yes, I was affected by their breakup. IT. FUCKING. HURTS.


Anyways. La La Land.

The aesthetic of it all!!!!!!!!! I love, love, love beautiful cinematography. Ask the people who I talk to about films. I don’t shut up about the cinematography of a movie. The fashion. The music. The sunsets, the night skies, the cityscapes. The staaaaars. Goodness, I love the stars- not the celebrities, but the stars in the sky on the cover.

Okay, so I finally watched it… just last night. While I do admire the movie- the romanticism of it all, the soundtrack, the acting, the lines- I wasn’t completely sold. It was a story of regret. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I like happy endings. But this was just sad. They made each other happy, they loved each other. Why didn’t they make it work? Why didn’t they find each other after they got their lives together? Now she has to live a life without him. A life with another man, who I’m not sold that she loves enough to make her happy. Or maybe they just didn’t show her falling in love with the guy. Still. Why didn’t Mia look for Seb? Or why didn’t Seb look for Mia?

At the end of the movie, we know that Seb lives alone and does not have a partner. Actually, it was just implied. But still. Does that mean he waited for her? And he wouldn’t have had closure if they didn’t run into each other that night? Okay, maybe we don’t know that for sure, but the look that they shared- the nostalgia and sense of regret and what could’ve been as he played their love song- does that not infer that?

Okay, so maybe, that’s just life. Things work out, and things don’t. Fairy tales do not translate to reality. I’ll give them that. I’m a hopeless romantic, not a senseless, irrational person who believes that the world is all rainbows and butterflies (it’s not).

I have two more questions. If one feels that sense of regret and find themselves dreaming of the what-ifs in their life, are they truly happy with where they are now? Is a life well-lived if it's full of regrets?

Furthermore, it was a story with jazz music as a key element- yet I barely saw any black people? There was John Legend, but when he appeared, I felt like he was there as a cameo and he didn’t give the story any substance, apart from distancing Sebastian (Gosling) away from Mia (Stone). Yes, I’m opening this conversation.

It was only last year that I really took notice of the lack of diversity- particularly Asians- on the big screen. Chloe Bennet, who stars as Daisy Johnson on Agents of SHIELD (2013), speaking out about Gigi Hadid’s racist gesture really opened my eyes about the lack of Asian roles in Hollywood. Her interview here also really put things in perspective.

So yeah. Representation matters.

I won’t hate the film for what it isn’t. I enjoyed it, but I hope they- the producers, writers, directors, actors, whoever decide to put these things in production- I hope they have learned that a successful project is one of authenticity and to be authentic, you have to do your research and be true to the context. I love the soundtrack and lines and the fashion and the cinematography and most of the writing. And I do wish that we got to know more about the other characters- Mia's friends and husband, and Seb's sister and his family.

One of the most memorable quotes that I found in the movie was “People love what other people are passionate about.” It was a line that Mia said to Sebastian on dinner, and this was at the verge of their breakup. And it rings so true. I’m not artist nor am I a professional critic, but artistic works of art (films, music, paintings, poetry, books) made out of love truly make them extraordinary. It reminds me and inspires me to do what I love.

Another quote was “This is not your dream.” This was in the same scene as the former quote. While you have to compromise for things you cannot achieve yet, don’t forget who you are. Keep true to yourself because if not, then you won’t be truly and genuinely happy.

PS- this is so me when I'm driving and people are doing stupid things on the road: