Matt’s Favorite Films #1

2016 – If I’m not mistaken, I was still in my sophomore year in middle school. Then, I still took moviegoing for granted; I watched strictly for entertainment purposes—not that doing this was taking it for granted but you know what I’m trying to say. My favorites back then were still Marvel superhero films since that was all I chose to consume. That year, La La Land came out and, if I could say, was sort of a sensation in my school; everyone started to sing the songs and talk about the film. Honestly, I despised the film then—get this, because the ending wasn’t happy. With the release of The Greatest Showman and becoming an instant, undeserved phenomenon the following year, my hatred towards musicals only grew. Fast forward to around 2020 where many events have happened until then that made me more culturally perceptive. My love for films were ignited by my seniors in high school and I became more open to new types of music; in other words, I became more mature—at least that’s what I personally think now. I was at home alone opening Netflix; that’s when I saw La La Land. I watched the preview and became mildly interested in rewatching it—and so I did. To my surprise, I wept at the end—it was suddenly a completely different film.

Without fail, La La Land elicits this enchanting feeling. The colors are heavily saturated—from the blue skies and the sunsets of Los Angeles or the dark, dimly-lit-with-neon-lights jazz club of Sebastian’s. The score by Justin Hurwitz is incredibly passionate, addicting, and, most importantly, deeply moving—this complements every last scene wonderfully well. Couple all of these with kinetic camera movements, elegant composition and dynamic editing, you are assured goosebumps on every occasion.

What do you really want in life? Life isn’t simple; there’s a lot of things to deal with and it could be overwhelming. One day, your wants and/or needs could be A, but after life gives you something else, it changes to B; to me, this is the most meaningful theme that La La Land explores. Your dream is to become a successful actress and open a jazz club, but fate made you meet and love happens. Deep down, you know this relationship means sacrificing your dreams—or your partner’s. Are you willing to do it? Or will you feel guilty that your partner sacrificed his or hers? La La Land is a soul-stirring, gut-wrenching plummet into this unfairness and bittersweetness. The question becomes was it all worth it?

I personally think a deep and immense appreciation for La La Land can only come with experience—in living, that is. As time continues to pass as quickly as you can snap, the film only becomes even more relatable—and my passion for this masterpiece only continues to grow. Through the magical direction by Damien Chazelle, the incredibly charismatic performances of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling along with the touching music by Justin Hurwitz, La La Land is arguably the best musical of all time. This film is a beacon of love and relationships—that no matter where the relationship ends up, it was worth every argument, every moment spent, every single time.