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In this column, Kai Blackmon will be discussing updates in the theater world, psychology and lessons found within musicals, and pretty much anything related to the arts. (Come check this out, fellow theater geeks).
la la land : losses and lessons of love
la la land : losses and lessons of love
By Kai Blackmon
By Kai Blackmon
The musical La La Land is one that most people either love with all of their hearts or despise with deep hatred. In this fever dream musical, viewers follow Mia and Sebastian through the rise and fall of their romance-- from sneaking a short glance to falling madly in love until, inevitably, leaving each other. The meaning of the film can be lost in the confusion that people --rightfully so-- have with this film. This story is chock-full of weird time jumps and strange choices in camera or set design. Not to mention: it’s a musical. Singing and dancing through stories can cause some issues with any form of making sense. That being said, let's begin to figure these lessons out, shall we?
Some of the most popular themes that came from this story are about never giving up, making sacrifices for your dreams or the fact that you don’t always end up with your soulmate. To be fair, we do see these lessons in La La Land, and they are very important to the story and the characters. Mia and Sebastian work most of their lives to achieve their dreams--Mia having aspired to one day become a famous actress and Sebastian hoping to achieve his dream of opening his own jazz club and, by the end of the story, it works out for the both of them-- showing the importance of never giving up and working hard to reach one's dreams. It is also very true that the characters have to make a sacrifice for their dreams, tying in with the message that people may not always wind up with their soulmate. However, I’m sure we can all agree that one of these concepts is very basic, while the others are simply greatly depressing, so how about we find something a bit more helpful for us to apply to life.
Photo by Geekblast
One thing that humans often seem to think is that an ex is someone we need to forget. “You broke up with Dave, like, a year ago, Chloe. Why are you still thinking about him?” “I just miss him, that's all.” Chloe, you are a teenager; obviously, your adolescent brain is searching for some form of romantic connection because all of your peers have managed to have multiple while you have only managed the one in your past. Therefore, you strive for another connection like the one you used to have, so you ponder restarting that again to feel the same feeling you did way back when. However, you also remember the bad times that make you question why you were with him in the first place; you, despite this, still battle the idea of going back to him. In the words of Nadene van der Linden, a clinical physiologist, “It seems whether you stay together or not you’ll likely be in each other’s minds for quite some time in the form of thoughts, memories, or dreams. If you’re lucky they’ll be sweet, but sometimes they’re sad, hurt, confused, or angry dreams.” The memories of an ex will always be there, but it is your job to recognize the bad parts of a relationship and why it didn’t work out, along with the good moments-- like how he always called people a snowflake for the worst reasons. Anyway, let's move on from that unnecessary and concerningly long bit, yes?
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We regularly think it best to forget the past relationships rather than learn from them. Deleting all of the pictures you have of your partner, never listening to those same songs and making sure you burn all of their clothes. However, this is not always helpful, and La La Land really shows viewers this struggle. It is true: Mia and Sebastian do not end up happily ever after. Regardless, they do learn and grow a lot during the duration of their love. Their growth together was necessary for their future relationships and struggles. A domestic-relations lawyer and judge--Judge Michele F. Lowrance--has learned from her cases that when “we move to the next phase of our lives we can choose to look upon that as a living rebirth rather than the death of something.” Sure, you might not always stay with the same partner. Even someone who seems so perfect might just not work out when life continues moving you down a new path. Whether or not the relationship was good or bad doesn’t matter. What does matter is how you learn from it and how you choose to move on. A negative relationship is something you can take into account when looking for your next partner, or when deciding it best for your mental health to not begin a new one. Maybe you even decide you are interested in another gender or could possibly be aromantic/asexual. There is much to learn from experiences that don’t work out. A positive relationship can help you know what type of affection works for you and what you might enjoy in the future. In the case of Mia and Sebastian, the relationship has many great moments for them to learn from; it also has a few rough patches that can be taken into account, as well.
By the end of the film, viewers get to see a few short flashes of what Mia and Sebastian do in life after their romance has ended. Despite not being necessarily what they had hoped for, they both seem to be very happy with their new lives. Both wind up successful and doing what makes them most happy. Mia achieves her dream of being an actress, as well as getting married to a man she meets after her life with Sebastian, and Sebastian opens up the jazz club he always had wanted to own. Before the credits roll, we get a short scene in which Mia goes to Seb’s Jazz Club with her new husband, and the two past lovers once more share a glance. In this scene, we get a glimpse of what their lives might have been like if they did stay together, as well as a retelling of the original story in a world where both of them were perfect and never made mistakes. Eventually, they snap back to reality, share a smile, and part ways once more. Mia exits Seb’s jazz club, as well as his life-- a very bittersweet ending to this dream. The scene serves as a way to demonstrate that both partners still have nostalgia for what once was. The film also shows them having to push past the experience and remember their mistakes; they recognize it wasn’t all perfect. Unfortunately, this is something many GPJHS teenagers have to do, as well.
Photo by Blogspot
La La Land really teaches us that we can learn a lot from our former relationships. We can start to understand our own flaws that need to be worked on, know what we need to look for in our future endeavors, and have some happy memories we can hold onto for the rest of our lives. Reminders that someone can love you are important for one's mental health, whether it be a major romantic love, a supportive family, or a friend who sticks up for you when you need it the most. Mia and Sebastian’s story--despite feeling like a wacked out and confusing daydream--really does have one of the more important lessons for the current day.
Goodnight, my fellow deities.
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