If you watched the Golden Globes, you probably noticed Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” winning quite a few awards. With an all-star cast of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, it broke the record for most Golden Globes won by a movie, winning seven awards. It makes you wonder how a film with a relatively new director could become so successful. To this, I would have you look to Justin Hurwitz’s outstanding score.
“La La Land” is a movie about dreamers, and what better place for dreamers than Los Angeles? Chazelle manages to portray the feeling of Los Angeles by using a classic Hollywood vibe. He utilizes many tropes from older movies and brings them into a modern era. Hurwitz’s jazzy and somewhat classical score is a perfect compliment. The opening of the film is accompanied by an upbeat number and a slew of people singing of chasing their dreams and facing the day ahead of them. It provides a bright and fun intro that perfectly matches the tone of the film. Before even meeting the two main characters, the viewer has a good idea of the setting and tone of the movie.
Later, when the two main characters meet, you are introduced to Mia and Sebastian’s theme. This is probably my favorite track in the movie. It is used many times throughout the film as a background to the relationship between the two main characters. Each time it is used it is tweaked slightly to match the tone of the scene in which it appears. For this reason, the viewer never finds themselves tiring of the same track. For me, it even added more emotion whenever it was heard. The song became a theme for their relationship and their time together (Warning: the rest of this paragraph may contain mild spoilers). At the end of the movie, Sebastian, portrayed by Gosling, plays the song as the screen shows their memories. It starts out calm with an almost melancholic feel as you see slightly glorified memories they had together. This brings out strong emotions in the audience as they feel like they were right there with them. The music then crescendos as it shows a perfect future, and the bright music engrosses the viewer and even brought tears to my eyes. As the music fades out, the atmosphere grows darker and reality hits the main characters. This scene, in particular, was perfectly executed to bring out emotions from the audience and make them feel more engrossed in the story.
Chazelle’s film celebrates the power of music and shows the audience what an impact it can have on the story. As the viewer, you are able to share the main characters’ love for music. Based on his previous work, “Whiplash” and this new film, I am certainly excited to see what he has in store for the future. Chazelle is very good at picking the right music for the scene and is able to use it to its fullest. “La La Land” is a perfect example of how music can enhance a story and help the audience feel more connected to the film. If you haven’t seen this movie, I would highly recommend it.
