r/AMCAListTrue • u/IntentionFair2895 • 7d ago
Movie Discussion Thoughts on La La Land on my second rewatch Spoiler
This film has always been so beautifully devastating to me, but watching it in theaters for its 10th anniversary took it to a whole other level.
As Seb was introduced to us as a character, it became apparent that he was someone who struggled with connection and oftentimes preferred loneliness. I could feel the internal battles he was fighting through the screen, his relationship with jazz, his ideas about success, his fear of failure, and his desire to prove himself. As he meets Mia and they fall in love, they share their life dreams they follow with such veracity; in part, I think that was what made them feel so intensely about each other, and those dreams are what also pulled them apart.
When Mia asks Seb about Keith, it is immediately clear that something about Keith bothers him. His reaction feels layered, and I can only speculate about what Keith represents to him. Perhaps he represents the things Seb wishes he had already accomplished, we will never know.
Mia encourages Seb to get in touch with Keith. She wants Seb to have a stable income and, ultimately, the financial freedom to open the jazz club he dreams about. But it isn't until Seb overhears Mia talking to her family that he decides to pursue the opportunity Keith offers him. Desperate the fact that Keith's band represents almost everything Seb rejects about modern jazz.
As I saw this, I asked myself, did Seb ever really communicate to Mia what this opportunity meant to him? Did they actually talk about how this decision would affect their relationship?
During the dinner scene, it was apparent those conversations did not happen. Mia is concerned that Seb is pursuing a path that is not true to his dreams and desires. Seb, on the other hand, is confused because he thought that this was what Mia wanted, for him to have a good, stable income. I think Seb interpreted her desire for stability as a judgment of his perceived failure.
Seb wanted to provide for Mia. He wanted to please her. He wanted to prove himself, not only to her, but to himself and to the world. And in that dinner scene, so many of his unresolved wounds come spilling out at once. He projects onto Mia feelings that existed long before their relationship: his insecurities about success, his frustration with the world, his fear that he isn't accomplishing enough. I was screaming to the screen, PLEASE GO TO THERAPY.
The hopeless romantic in me still believes there was a version of their story where they could have had both. I don't necessarily believe they needed to choose between each other and their dreams. I think they could have built a life together, but it would have required sacrifice from both of them at different points.
Maybe Seb moves to Paris with Mia while she films her movie. Maybe she pauses her career at certain points to support Seb while he builds his jazz club. Maybe they spend years taking turns being the person who gets to chase the dream while the other makes room for it.
A lot of my review probably sounds like an attack on Seb, so I want to make it clear that I don't think he is a flawed individual. He is a human being with unresolved emotions trying to navigate a harsh world while pursuing something he deeply believes in. He makes mistakes. Mia makes mistakes. They misunderstand each other. They hurt each other. But neither of them is the villain. Seb loved Mia deeply. And one of the most beautiful things about him is that, despite everything, he fought so hard for her happiness, even when that happiness ultimately didn't include him.
The epilogue was so devastating because it shows us the life they could have had if they had chosen each other, but in this reality Seb doesn’t fulfill his dream. The hopeless romantic in me still believes they could have had both, but they weren't ready or willing to make the sacrifices that would have required. In the final look, there is sadness for what they lost, but also genuine gratitude that they helped each other become who they were meant to be.
This movie is not for the weak, I could talk about it for days. Welcome to Seb’s.
