Intro#
In the winter vacation of 2017, I participated in a study tour group to the United States, starting from LA, then went to SF, Chicago, and finally arrived in NY. It happened to be Valentine's Day that day, and La La Land was showing in theaters. My girlfriend at the time and I spent half a day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in the afternoon, feeling cold and tired, we found a movie theater to rest. At that time, I only thought it was an ordinary musical film, and even fell asleep for a while during the movie.
I have read some explanations about La La Land in the meantime, and I gradually became a nostalgic person, a very nostalgic person.
On the last day of 2023, I rushed back to Beijing from Chongli and found the only theater still showing the movie on the east side, which inspired me to write this article.
La La Land is not a love story, it is a story about responsibility, courage, growth, and dreams.
Seb#
Seb's theme is responsibility.
In the movie, Seb is a poor struggling artist who can't afford his water and electricity bills. He rejects his family's care and help, and his work is unreliable. He gets fired by the restaurant manager, but he is still "obsessed" with jazz music, especially the most classic jazz.
There are many details in the movie that establish Seb's image, such as the car he drives, a 1982 Buick Riviera. The movie is set around 2014/15, and it is very uneconomical to drive an 80s classic car in modern times, both in terms of fuel consumption and maintenance costs. However, he insists on doing so because it gives him a sense of nostalgia - I am a nostalgic person, I miss that distant and beautiful era; I was fired because the restaurant manager doesn't understand jazz; I am not living in poverty, I am sacrificing for my passion.
In the end of the movie, Seb finally opens his own jazz bar, achieving a happy ending. However, this ending seems to have a sense of mechanical deus ex machina: Seb's money to open the bar is accumulated through joining the legendary brother's band and touring, and joining the band itself is a very random event - Seb happens to have a good friend who appreciates his talent and understands his stubbornness, and Seb also happens to realize during this period that he needs to take on some responsibility because of being in love, so he chooses to join the band, and he happens to be dumped, so he saves enough money to open the bar. There are too many coincidences in this process.
When we look at it from the perspective of responsibility, we will find that Seb only briefly stepped out of his comfort zone, took on social responsibility for a period of time, and then returned to his old ways, using the profits from this period to create a more lasting comfort zone for himself. He is still avoiding.
Does he really love jazz music? The legendary brother in the movie makes it very clear: jazz music was avant-garde, rebellious, and subversive when it was born. And Seb pursues orthodox jazz music, isn't this going against the spirit of jazz?
Mia#
After the movie, I discussed it with Xiaohong. She happened to be writing a special article about short plays in mini-programs (which was very exciting) and felt that Mia was very similar to the "struggling" actors she interviewed in Hengdian. However, after careful consideration, I found that things were not that simple.
In the movie, Mia is a talented student with a law degree. If she didn't become an actress, she could still become a lawyer. Moreover, her aunt is a famous actress and often takes Mia to act and play together. Mia actually grew up in an artistic family and was influenced from an early age. She is also in the best place in the world to make movies, Hollywood! So Mia's destiny is completely different from the struggling actors.
And that's the truth. In the final audition, Mia officially got the role by performing the story her aunt told her, which took place in Paris. From then on, her acting career took off. We can certainly say that this is a choice that is closer to her true self, but from a realistic perspective, it is also the accumulation of her family background that helped her.
Since Mia has the ability and the background, why did she have such a tough time before? Because she lacked courage. At first, Mia had no idea how to use her strengths - she could write scripts herself. And every time she encountered difficulties, she always wanted to give up. The brilliance of the movie lies in the fact that every crucial decision is made with Seb's support, pushing Mia forward - it was him who told Mia that she shouldn't play other people's roles but should write her own script and create her own character; it was him who drove to Mia's house for the last time, honking the horn like crazy to summon Mia out.
Mia didn't know her unique strengths, she didn't know she had a hidden blade.
Mia's theme is courage.
Dionysian and Apollonian#
Nietzsche used "Dionysian" and "Apollonian" as a pair of opposing spiritual paradigms. Dionysian represents passion, breaking free, and irrationality; Apollonian represents classical, restrained, and rational.
In Plato's "Symposium," it is written that primitive humans had two faces, two sets of mouths and noses, four hands and four feet, and infinite strength. They even attempted to collide with and overthrow the gods. So Zeus decided to split each person in half from the middle. Since then, every person has been searching for their other half that they were separated from. The only desire of those who find their other half is to be united with them forever. This is the ultimate goal of love.
Mia and Seb are opposing yet complementary. Mia is actually very talented, but lacks confidence; Seb is extremely talented, but avoids responsibility. Seb takes on more social responsibility for Mia's sake and finally opens his ideal jazz bar. Mia, every time she wants to give up, is pushed by Seb to build confidence and courageously move forward.
From a romantic perspective, this story is undoubtedly a tragedy because they don't end up together. From their individual perspectives, it is not a tragedy because they both grow and ultimately achieve their initial dreams. In the 7-minute long montage at the end of the movie, Mia and Seb spend their lives together, making up for regrets.
I love the moment when they look back at each other at the end of the movie, that is enough.
Epilogue#
At the end of 2016, I was in my senior year of college, and my post-graduation plans were already set. I had enough credits, but I felt extremely "lost." I remember that winter was very cold, and I watched Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" many times; I listened to Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat" on repeat. Deep down, I didn't like the "leading" job that was waiting for me, and I didn't want to be that "sunshine person."
That trip to the United States was a very important experience for me. The West Coast is always sunny, and technology is always advancing. Mountain View is planning to launch high-altitude hot air balloons to connect children in Amazon rainforest tribes to the internet. Children always have dreams.
7 years have passed, and it seems that everyone has become more conservative. Sebs just want to stay in the retro amusement park they have created for themselves. Do Mias still have the courage to continue dreaming?
Well, I don't know.
But I do know that the best way to reach the future is to start building it.
And here's to the fools who dream
Crazy as they may seem
Here's to the hearts that break
Here's to the mess we make
--
2024/01/13 @Shanghai