By Varun
This review contains spoilers
Ten years ago, Damien Chazelle’s La La Land hit the screens and grossed more than $500 million in the global box office and won six Academy Awards. Recently, it has been back in cinemas to celebrate a decade since its release. The movie is infamous for its musical numbers which were a tribute to Hollywood’s Golden Age musicals while also being rooted in contemporary film-making. La La Land is a modern classic for a variety of reasons but the role of capitalism and how it affects the fate of the main characters is seldom discussed.
The Struggles of Working-Class People Aspiring to Become Artists
Mia (Emma Stone) is an aspiring actress and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is an aspiring Jazz musician. Both of them are forced to work jobs they don’t like to make ends meet. Sebastian performs part-time gigs playing songs he doesn’t like and Mia works as a barista at a coffee shop located in a film studio. Their jobs often come in their way of passion, like when Mia has to attend an audition with coffee all over her dress due to a workplace accident.
Mia meets Sebastian when, after wandering alone into his restaurant, she’s captivated by the music coming out of it. Meanwhile, Sebastian is fired for playing the tunes that he likes. As a worker, his position is precarious and he has no say in what music should be played. This is the embodiment of capitalism. Working class people have no say in how their labor is being used. Just when Mia is about to introduce herself to him, he ignores her and leaves the place in frustration.
They both meet again at a party. Mia is uninterested in the party and stumbles upon Sebastian who is part of the party’s music band. They soon come to realise that they both are doing jobs that they do not like and are struggling for a break in their respective fields. It is this connection that brings them closer together. But when Mia and Sebastian hang out at a jazz club, we see the conflicting perspectives of what “success” means to both of them. For Mia, success is about fame and being a part of the film industry. She wants to be a part of the system and has no intention to change it. Whereas Sebastian turns down an opportunity to work with a successful musician, despite the potential money and fame, wanting instead just to play the music that he wants in his own space.
Capitalism Leads to Social Isolation
When Mia and Sebastian begin their relationship, they struggle to make ends meet and Sebastian finally decides to work with his friend’s new band, while Mia is working on an autobiographical play. Sebastian has fame and is making great income even if he doesn’t like the music he is playing. He is often on tour and soon their relationship deteriorates. This leads to a fight and Sebastian convinces himself that he is happy with the band. He misses Mia’s play which gets panned by the crowd. Distraught, Mia leaves Los Angeles and heads back to her home in Arizona.
Luckily for Mia, a casting director who saw her play contacts Sebastian and informs him that she wants her to audition for a role. Sebastian convinces Mia to attend the audition and she finally lands the career breakthrough that she has been chasing all her life. It is a deep sense of irony that the most personal and passionate story that she wanted to tell the world was just used as a stepping stone for her acting career while for Sebastian, the adoration he received and the money he made while being a part of his friend’s band meant nothing to him because his dream was to run a jazz themed restaurant.
Fast forward five years later and Mia is a successful actress with a kid and a loving partner. Sebastian has finally set up his Jazz themed restaurant. Mia’s busy schedule means she has very little time for family and struggles to connect with her kid. When Mia and Sebastian meet each other after five years, they both imagine a future where they are together.
The Hidden Political Subtexts of La La Land
La La Land has received criticisms for its lack of Black representation for a story revolving around Jazz. White America’s success is built on Black labour, which is often undervalued. The three Black characters – Keith, who hires Sebastian in his band initially; Amy Bryant, the casting director who gives Mia her first break, and Sebastian’s Brother-in-Law Harry – play a huge role in the success of the main characters’ career ambitions. Intentional or otherwise, Damien Chazelle’s casting choices here are interesting and a metaphor in itself.
On the surface, La La Land is musical rom-com but the subtext is revealed in the use of colours, music, and locations. No art is apolitical, while La La Land’s main characters don’t talk about politics exclusively, their character arcs are defined by the capitalist economic model of the USA. Perhaps, in a socialist economic model, Mia and Sebastian are both pursuing their passions with a guaranteed basic standard of living, without being put in a situation where they have to choose between career or love.
