Dream Obscuring Dream
A Thought on La La Land
La La Land was released back in 2016, but it was only this past week that I took the time to enjoy it. One aspect of the film’s story that I want to highlight is its depiction of human aspiration and how dreams might not always be what they seem.
Very early on in the film, the goals of our main characters, Mia and Seb, are clearly laid out. Mia wants to be an actress, and Seb wants to save jazz.
The film proceeds to show what kinds of major conflicts our characters meet in pursuing their dreams, how they question and reassess their aspirations, and where our dreamers’ resulting decisions end up leading them.
The film ends with Mia again dreaming, but this time, she’s not dreaming about the future. She’s dreaming about the past. The question “What if” drives the thread of the dream. The stark and somber colors that close the film hint at regret. Mia’s resolute aspirations for the future seem to have led her to a place where she now longs for the past and perhaps even longs for the possibility to change how her future would have played out. It’s a longing for another dream that wasn’t clearly seen by Mia at the time. It’s a longing for a dream obscured by the dream she held too tight.
Dreams are powerful forces indeed. They’re forces not to be taken lightly. Heedless of us, they drive us on. So, the question—always as valid as it is challenging—remains: “Is this really my dream, or am I just living in La La Land?”