In an interview with The New York Times, Chazelle said that, “LA, even more so than any other American city, obscures, sometimes neglects, its own history. But that can also be its own magical thing, because it’s a city that reveals itself bit by bit, like an onion, if you take the time to explore it.” La La Land is a film that embodies that imagery in every single frame, every single beat.
While the sublime and remarkable Gosling and Stone are the face of the film, the glue that binds the whole spectacle together is rarely seen but always heard: the soundtrack. However, the film’s soundtrack is not just the magical body of work of composer Justin Hurwitz; it’s the latent hum of the city, the bleating and pinging of horns and mobile phone notifications, the muttering, laughter, tears and general city bustle that fills the belly of the film, which the wonderful score dances over and through. Hurwitz’s lilting and honeyed touches and bold yet nuanced licks put the breath in the lungs of the city, giving this classic boy-meets-girl story an exciting and refreshing twist. Although heaped in nostalgia for the musicals of yesteryear, his refrains have become part of contemporary pop culture.
La La Land, an exquisitely controlled work without losing any of its fire, is inside everyone who has ever dreamed. It’s the story of anyone who has ever tried, which makes it all the more remarkable that it’s a story that was almost never told.
Simon Thompson is a British film journalist based in Los Angeles, working with Reuters, BBC, Sky News and others.
