La La Land is written and directed by Damien Chazelle and features Emma Stone as Mia and Ryan Gosling as Sebastian. They play two struggling artists in LA who keep running into each other. La La Land is a musical, and is one of the best movie musicals I have seen in a log while, making great use of all the things you can do in editing that you cannot do in a musical on stage, such as insanely large dance numbers, creative cinematography, and authentic contextual setting. The effort that went into the production of this movie is obvious to anyone who watches it and it is not only an incredible film, and incredible movie, and a work of cinematic art, but it is also a great story about two people that really gets at how things feel rather than how things are in reality.
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Besides the incredible cinematography on its own, La La Land makes use of several recurring themes in order to evoke certain emotions in its audience. Early on in the film it is established that monochromatic color means that something important is about to happen; usually a pinkish red lighting immediately precedes or is present during an important scene and a green wash is used for more tense scenes of the same importance. For example, right before Mia’s context in the movie is established, that she is a struggling actress in LA, she is seen in her bathroom with a red wash lighting. Similarly, when she shows Sebastian her one-act, she is seen in a red/pink lighting. When Mia and Sebastian break up, it is done in a red bright lighting. When Mia and Sebastian fight, it is done in front of a bright green wash light. In this way, monochromatic lighting tells the audience to pay attention to what comes next; it is a visual cue to represent the intense emotion and importance carried in a scene. In addition to red monochromatic lighting being used to convey meaning, the color red can also be found in various objects in almost every scene. Mia’s purse is red, there is a red umbrella in a scene, there is a person wearing an all-red suit in one scene, red is used so much throughout the film it is difficult not to notice it. Another recurring theme is the slow piano jazz song that we first hear Sebastian play. If I’m not mistaken, he is listening to the song on a tape when we first meet his character, is again trying to learn the song the first time we hear him play the piano, and the most importantly, when Mia first runs into him at the restaurant. Every time Mia and Sebastian ground their relationship or take another step, the same theme is played and the audience is given a cue to connect the moment they see on the screen with the other scenes of their relationship.
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This review is only touching upon the various ways La La Land uses color, themes, music, and lighting to guide the audience through the story; the preparations and thought that went into this movie was so complex that you just have to admire the mind that created the idea. I would definitely recommend this movie, 10/10, I would definitely see it again. I’m a sucker for creative lighting, but this movie is just purely enjoyable and I think there are very few people who would not like it.