The Meaning Behind La La Land
By Bella Bumble ‘28
La La Land is a cinematic masterpiece starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, directed by Damien Chazelle. The movie follows an aspiring actor, a barista, Mia, and a pianist who dreams of owning a jazz club, Sebastian. Like fate, they meet and interact at several random events and are ultimately drawn toward each other with the hope of fulfilling their dreams.
Together, Sebastian and Mia would play the piano they composed. Soon after, Mia and Sebastian began dating and took off with their careers. Mia writes a one-woman show (as she calls it), and Sebastian joins a band. Mia’s one-woman show gained so much popularity that an acting scout offered her a role, but the filming would take place in Paris. At the same time, Sebastian’s band begins to take off with the thought of going on tour. As a result, the couple splits up on bad terms so they can further their careers.
Five years later, Mia is a successful actress with a husband, a beautiful home, and kids. On a date, Mia and her husband decide to go into a newly opened jazz club. When she goes downstairs, she sees Sebastian walk out on stage, and they immediately recognize each other. Nonetheless, Sebastian sits in front of the piano and plays the very song he and Mia would play many years ago. As Sebastian begins to play their song, their surroundings darken and focus on Mia, showing an alternate ending where they end up together. In this future, Mia gets her acting gig and Sebastian drops his dream of owning a jazz club.
Later, it shows Mia and Sebastian having a family and living in a beautiful home. This montage is about Sebastian going along with Mia’s dreams so they could be together, even if that meant Sebastian wouldn't get his own jazz club. The film has the viewer feeling all different emotions within a 2-hour run time. This beloved movie has much meaning for movie lovers like me. Yet the actual meaning behind La La Land is often missed.
If you start thinking about the film thoroughly, there is an idea that it might be the right person, but at the wrong time. For example, the movie shows how in love Sebastian and Mia are, but their availability is limited. Ultimately, the relationship ends because of conflicts in work and their personal lives. When the viewer watches this scene, a key detail is when Mia is going through ‘Hollywood’ and her dreams are closer and closer to happening, but Sebastian isn’t doing what he planned himself.
Sebastian doesn’t go and try to fulfill his goal of owning a jazz club. He goes along with Mia to make her acting career happen. This is sort of like Sebastian saying he would have gone anywhere if that meant he could end up with Mia. In this scene, Sebastian seems content about not doing what he wants to do; it's as if nothing matters as long as he can have the love of his life.
Another point is destiny. Sometimes, in life, things are just meant to be. Whichever path someone takes could affect the rest of their life. It’s just another idea that Sebastian and Mia were meant to be a short part of each other's lives.
In conclusion, the films show Mia and Sebastion smiling at each other in a way that can be accepted, and both realize it is, unfortunately, for the better. Sometimes, people forget that no matter how much someone means to them, sometimes, it won't last together. It can be better only having spent time with people for a bit. People build their paths through every decision they make.
Mia and Sebastian, though they are in love, could have just been a small brick in the building of their path. The whole ending scene is an important puzzle piece for understanding the meaning behind La La Land since you can grab so many different ideas to form an understanding of the plot.
In conclusion, La La Land can be viewed in many different ways. La La Land is a beautiful, heartfelt film, and one reason is how the masses perceive it. When one watches a film, it can spark different emotions and thoughts. There are so many layers to the movie's plot which can resonate with the viewer and create numerous messages and meanings. For example, when Mia and Sebastian take one last glance at each other at the end, it is a very emotional moment that can connect with the people watching .
Overall, there are multiple messages behind La La Land, and in all, the movie is so touching because of the different ways people relate to it, leaving space for your interpretation. Not fully understanding something can be frustrating, but leaving room for the imagination can be necessary.