There’s a bittersweet magic to ‘La La Land’, a retro musical that evokes the spirit of ‘A Star Is Born’ while carving out its own space in the modern cinematic landscape. Of course, it’s also remembered for the now-infamous Oscars mix-up, when it was mistakenly announced as Best Picture in 2017 before the award was correctly given to ‘Moonlight’. But beyond that moment of awards-show drama, ‘La La Land’ endures as a luminous exploration of dreams, love, and the price of artistic ambition.

At its heart are two lovers, played by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, whose dynamic recalls Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli in ‘New York, New York’. They don’t begin as star-crossed soulmates. In fact, they barely get along. But both are talented, driven, and struggling to find their footing in Los Angeles: he’s a jazz purist who dreams of opening his own club, while she’s a barista and aspiring actress navigating auditions and rejections.

Their relationship unfolds against the backdrop of a city that both nurtures and devours ambition. As one rises, the other falters – and then their fortunes reverse. In a brilliantly executed final act, director Damien Chazelle revisits key moments from the film, offering an alternative version of events – a stylized fantasy sequence that reframes their love story and forces us to ask: what if?

The themes here echo those of Chazelle’s earlier film ‘Whiplash’: the relentless pursuit of artistic perfection, the idea of ‘selling out’, and the personal cost of staying true to one’s passion. But while ‘Whiplash’ is intense, even abusive in tone, ‘La La Land’ wears its melancholy with a lighter touch. It’s romantic, vibrant, and infused with the question of whether true fulfilment lies in love or career – or whether the two are ever really compatible.

There’s a subtle nod to ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, both in direct references (the characters watch the film and visit the Griffith Observatory) and in tone, with its yearning for something just out of reach. The film also draws on the French New Wave, especially ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’, in its willingness to blend fantasy and reality – and to end on a note of elegant ambiguity rather than traditional resolution.

Chazelle plays with time and perspective throughout. We watch Gosling and Stone pass each other in fleeting moments before their romance actually begins, suggesting a world of near-misses and alternative paths. Their chemistry is undeniable, yet there’s a tension between them – each is attracted to, and slightly repelled by, the other’s single-minded pursuit of success.

In the end, ‘La La Land’ is a film about choices – what we pursue, what we give up, and what we imagine could have been. It invites us to believe in the fantasy while quietly acknowledging the sacrifices reality demands. And that’s part of what makes it so moving: the recognition that, sometimes, the perfect ending only exists in our minds.