Which Damien Chazelle movie is better?
When watching a movie, do you notice a style in the production that makes you realize who the director is? There are many movies in which the director has a subtle implication of their style that makes the movie stand out as their own. Whether it’s Baz Luhrman putting extreme camera movements and color in set design or Christopher Nolan using extreme explosions and dark undertones, directors have their signature moves. Damien Chazelle is an amazing example of this. The main personal techniques that Chazelle uses are the Whip Pan camera movement and the topic of jazz. There is always some form of this in his movies. His most popular films are La La Land and Whiplash. Although the movies could not be more different, they have some underlying similarities. La La Land focuses on the relationship between a hopeful actress in LA and a jazz pianist who struggles to stay afloat. Whiplash on the other hand is about a college student at the Shaffer Conservatory in New York City who is struggling to reach expectations as a jazz drum player. La La Land is slower-moving and considered a musical, while Whiplash is an action-packed film that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The first time that I watched Whiplash, I was stunned. The acting, the music, and the use of the camera, all left me shocked. I couldn’t stop thinking about the plot for days. One of the most important parts of a film that goes unnoticed is the motion of the camera. In one scene, Andrew Neiman, portrayed by Miles Teller, is breaking up with his girlfriend to focus on his drumming career at school. Instead of switching the camera between each character in the conversation. The Camera lingers on Nicole (Melissa Benoist). This caused the viewers to focus on how Nicole was feeling through her facial features rather than listening to Andrews’s monologue of selfishness.
Another iconic part of Whiplash is the scene where Andrew has an important show and goes against Terence Fletcher’s (J.K. Simmons) rules. In the scene, Fletcher takes away Andrew’s sheet music as punishment so Andrew begins to play a song that he memorized. After a few minutes, Fletcher begins to accept it and they passively work together.
My perception of La La Land, on the other hand, is way different. The first time that I watched it, I was left severely disappointed. The movie had been severely hyped up, so I went into it with high expectations. When I finished the film, it felt like I wasted two hours of my life. The romance between Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) felt like acting to me. It didn’t feel in the slightest bit real. The whole movie felt fake and underwhelming. The only part that I liked was the famous jazz tune “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme” by Justin Hurwitz, the lighting, and the use of cameras.
As I mentioned before, Chazelle’s signature move is the Whip Pan camera shot. He uses this in a beautiful way in La La Land. It is quite an iconic scene. Mia is dancing, while Sebastian is playing the piano and the camera glides between them to create beautiful matrimony.
The movie has many impressive parts that make it the iconic film that it is. The set design blew me away, as did the lighting. The use of lighting expresses emotions throughout the movie. It helped the audience subconsciously attach themselves to the emotions of the characters. Although there were these impressive aspects, I still felt underwhelmed. I do not believe that I will be watching La La Land again by choice. I am not the only one with this opinion. According to Jemermy Urquhart of Collider, La La Land was rated second next to Whiplash in first place of all of Chazelle’s movies.
Urquhart, J. (2024, January 19). All 7 movies directed by Damien Chazelle, ranked. Collider. https://collider.com/damien-chazelle-movies-ranked/
Damien Chazelle is an amazing director with a variety of movies that evoke different emotions. His movies always blow an audience away and I am waiting for his next release.