*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS*
Hollywood nowadays does a great job in producing films that portray unrealistic expectations for love. They all make you believe that a random man will suddenly fall head over heels with you and fight to the death to call you his girlfriend. Unfortunately that’s not how it really works in real life; it is way more complicated and complex. Love takes time and doesn’t normally happen like the way it does in these movies. It seems as if every chick flick follows this same pattern of unrealism, giving young women the mentality that they are the framework of how relationships should be when it’s not like that at all. This makes it harder for some people to find the right one because of their high expectations set by the movies they are sitting around watching with their best friends.
La La Land is an exception to this. Before I even watched the movie, I had the mindset that it was going to be that same generic Hollywood love story, but in the moment I didn’t care (because Ryan Gosling, duh). The movie ended and I was filled with mixed emotions but there was one thing that I was completely sure of- I LOVED IT. This jazzy musical love story exceeded my expectations and the cinematography and music made my heart explode with warmth and happiness.
Aside from the musicality and the mix between modern day and old times, the love story in the film was unlike what Hollywood usually produces; this love story was realistic. It showed two people following their own big dreams and how sometimes things may not always happen the way we expect them to. When you make the decision to pursue your goals and dreams, sometimes that can get in the way of a relationship because of the lack of focus on it.
Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate Films
The movie showed the real journey of love, everything from the honeymoon stage to the falling out of love stage. To top it all off, the couple we see so madly in love for the duration of the movie doesn’t even end up together! Crazy right? I found myself feeling almost a bit mad when I saw that Emma’s character had moved on while Ryan Gosling’s character was continuing to pursue his dreams as a jazz artist, most likely single.
After the movie, I just couldn’t get myself to be happy about this since all of these other romance movies have conditioned me to believe that the couple always ends up together no matter what obstacles they may face. It wasn’t until hours passed that I realized that the ending of La La Land displays a sense of reality, like this story of love actually happens in real life. My mind was blown and I grew a greater sense of love for this movie because of this.
Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate Films
They deserved every Oscar they won this year. If you haven’t seen this movie you need to buy a ticket, grab some friends, and watch it now because I promise you will not be disappointed!
HCXOXO,
Shayla Fajardo