To preface, I have been a super-fan of La La Land since it came out. I’ve rewatched it over and over with my friends, my family, by myself – I even had a teacher in high school who showed it for a lesson on relationships. La La Land has helped me reckon with my own life. I am obsessed with the score, and I fell head over heels with the story on my first watch. On my recent vacation to California, I even visited the Griffith Observatory in a green dress, just like Mia did in the movie.
To me, this is an example of a perfect movie. There are highs, along with a lot of lows, all wrapped up in a beautiful collection of colours, costumes, and plot devices. The music is phenomenal on its own, but also helps to move the story forward. It’s become widely popular as a movie musical – with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s beautiful duet, “City of Stars”, scoring the film an Oscar for Best Original Song.
So… why are people calling it a horror movie nowadays?
(Caution: SPOILERS AHEAD. If you haven’t seen the film yet, get on that!)
while this movie is a beautiful work of fiction in a magical musical land, it’s also a psychological horror story.
The plot of La La Land shows Mia and Sebastian trying to make their relationship work while trying to mitigate their own artistic struggles. It is conveyed in such a realistic manner that the film evokes a strong sense of catharsis and empathy for both characters. Sacrificing your passion in the name of love is a heartbreaking notion on its own, but combined with two lovable, hardworking, realistic people and a seemingly picture-perfect love story? Yikes, here come the waterworks.
Throughout the movie, we see Mia and Sebastian’s lives blend together as artists. One of their first romantic interactions is them seeing Rebel Without a Cause (another classic film) at the Rialto Theatre, a movie that Sebastian introduces Mia to at the beginning of the story. Because of them spending more time together, he slowly changes her negative outlook on the genre of jazz music – a.k.a, Sebastian’s entire life. Mia later designs a logo for Sebastian’s future jazz club, while he constantly praises Mia’s work as an actress and playwright. All they do is love each other, and it really shows in the way they believe in each other’s dreams of success.
However, heavy is the head that wears the crown. Passion caused the eventual downfall of their relationship. Later on in the film, Sebastian joins a band that Mia doesn’t think values his true talent and love for music. While Sebastian is on tour with his band, Mia is preparing to show her own one-woman show, written and directed by herself. This loneliness is a strong contrast to how they had built their lives around each others’ art.
In a heated argument about Sebastian’s future with the band, Mia discusses how he should have a steady job to save up and open his jazz club, instead of running around the country on tour. Sebastian doubts the success of opening his club, which prompts this couplet of dialogue:
Sebastian:Â Well, no one likes jazz, not even you!
Mia:Â I do like jazz now because of you!
La La Land
The line from Mia really cements how much they’ve impacted each other’s lives. Despite the support that they gave each other throughout their relationship, their careers end up being the driving force of their breakup when Sebastian misses Mia’s play for a photoshoot with his band.
The reality of Pain
Even with the lingering heartbreak of seeing Mia and Sebastian falling out, the real kicker to the emotional rollercoaster is the end of the film. After Sebastian persuades Mia to audition for one more movie, they share a heartfelt conversation at the Griffith Observatory and express that they will always love each other, no matter what. In a somewhat stark manner, the story jumps ahead in time, taking place five years in the future. Mia has made it as a successful actress and Sebastian opens his jazz club once and for all, but they aren’t lovers anymore.
This point in the film is where many people I know would squirm, cringe, or even click away from the movie altogether. The fact that Mia and Sebastian don’t end up together in the end irritates a lot of people, and it has caused a great divide among my friends. Some liked the fact that they stayed apart and achieved their goals for themselves, while others couldn’t wrap their heads around how Mia and Sebastian made it without each other.
The gut-wrenching scene of the two seeing each other across Sebastian’s bar with looks of pride is what characterizes this film as a “horror”. The pain and catharsis of seeing two soulmate characters that you just spent two hours watching fall apart and not come back together as true loves is scary. The open ending leaves the viewer to wonder if they talked after seeing each other, or if they simply went right back to existing as memories to one another. Talk about torture!
Conclusion
In my opinion, what makes the movie a “horror” is the realism of it all. People break up, fates change, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it but wistfully smile into the distance. Honestly, the ending is what makes the film so good to me. Not all success stories end in romance, because not everyone’s endgame in life is love, which can be hard to see past in such an adorable movie.