Why 'La La Land' is more than a movie to me

With Los Angeles officially declaring April 25th as 'La La Land' day and the blu ray being released, I don't think there would be a better time than now to make this post, a post that has been coming for a long time.

The post might contain spoilers from the movie so do not read this post if you haven't watched the movie and plan to do so in the future.

Now, before I dive right into it, there's something else I wanna say.

I am an empathetic person. I try not to admit this or boast about it too often (even though I do) because up until very recently I thought that being empathetic made you an inherently good person. And anything that makes you good shouldn't be boasted about, at least that's what everyone says. However, I understand things better now. For one, being empathetic doesn't necessarily make you a 'good' person. My empathy has hardly done anyone any good in this world. And two, empathy is more of a curse than a gift. There's too much pain in the world. The only good thing about empathy is that it's not just about pain. You're equally sensitive to all emotions; love, hate, anger, joy, everything.

Now, more often than not, I am miserable. Like I said, the world is full of shit. And I try to get rid of the misery by leeching off the emotions and experiences of the people I meet. Which is why, once I become friends with anyone, the first question I usually ask them is what's their story. And for some reason, they always tell me. They tell me about their first love, their first kiss, their favorite childhood memory and even about how their favorite dessert tastes like. And in those moments, while they're recounting their memories, I feel everything they felt during those times, a flood of visuals and emotions rush through my body and mind, as if some kind of new life is rushing through my veins, electrifying everything it touches and finally reaching the heart. It's a feeling that I cannot fully describe because maybe I have not fully understood it yet, but I do know one thing about it; I know that it is highly addictive.

The only downside to this is that the rush doesn't last long and the urge to feel it again gets stronger and stronger with each passing day. Which is why I just HAD to go back and watch La La Land again and again, because it gave me so much to feel. A movie fundamentally about love and joy, it had become my choice of drug, something to inject myself with to feel alive again I suppose. Because every time I would watch this movie, it would pull me out of this cocoon of thorns I lived in, where it hurt with every breath, and it'd make me sing and dance and fall in love again. For me, La La Land is more than a movie, it's a safe haven.

But even then, there have been other movies to which I have been able to strongly relate and empathize with. I have already made posts about why I liked La La Land so much, so what makes it different, what makes it so special that I feel like it will always stay in my heart till the end of time?

Maybe because La La Land gave me something I had been desperately needing for a really long time. Hope.

The ending sequence of La La Land is probably one of the best pieces of narrative art I have ever experienced. When Sebastian starts playing on the piano and we get a glimpse into 'what could have been', our hearts slowing begin to break as we see everything Mia and Sebastian could have had if they were together. But that's not the beauty of it, the beauty lies in the very end, when Seb finishes the song and looks up at Mia and they both smile at each other.

While the theaters were filled with gasps and sobs by the end, I had a smile of my own, albeit with watery eyes, because that smile spoke volumes to me. It told me that no matter how life turns out, there will come a time where you will be fine and where you will be able to smile. I distinctly remembering telling myself, reassuringly, while I watched the curtain fall in theater, 'Everything is gonna be alright, it's all gonna be fine'.

Hope. That's what La La Land gave me, along with everything else. And that is why, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Pic Credit: http://icloudpicture.com/tag/la-la-land-wallpaper/