The Meaning and Setting of La La Land

La La Land: The City of Dreams and Fantasy, and the Reality Lurking Beneath

The film's title — 'La La Land' — carries a meaning beyond a simple place name. It is at once a nickname for Los Angeles and an idiomatic expression meaning 'a state of being disconnected from reality.' Director Damien Chazelle lays this double meaning into the film's foundation, endlessly posing to the audience the question: just how 'unreal' can the act of chasing a dream actually be?

1. Defining the Setting: The Boundary Between Fantasy and Reality

LA is depicted in the film as the most luminous and glamorous backdrop imaginable. Every setting — Mia's audition rooms, Sebastian's jazz bar, and the final Griffith Observatory — is a 'fantasy' stage that amplifies the yearning of all those who chase dreams. But this fantastical backdrop is simultaneously a stage where 'cold reality' exists just beneath the surface. The dilemma facing artists — having to give up a stable job (Mia's barista life, her relationship with Greg) or a realistic relationship in order to realize a dream — arises precisely at this boundary.

2. How It Functions in the Film: Two Worlds in Collision

The film creates collisions between these two worlds through the relationship of Sebastian and Mia. This collision is not simply a matter of 'love' — it is a philosophical opposition about 'which way of life holds more value.'

• Sebastian's world (traditional jazz): To Sebastian, jazz is not 'comfortable background music' but 'fierce combat' and 'intense communication.' He feels that jazz is 'dying' as it merges with pop and electronica, and believes that preserving the purity of traditional jazz is his artistic conviction. His world is stubborn, conservative, and refuses compromise with reality.
• Mia's world (Hollywood): Mia's world is focused on 'mainstream success' and 'visible results.' In order to survive within the system of auditions and studios, she must constantly prove herself. Her dream is closer to escaping an uncertain future through 'realistic success.'

The two try to understand each other's worlds, but ultimately the definitions of 'real art' and 'what success means' collide, and they find themselves at a crossroads where each must choose their own path.

3. A Collection of Related Scenes: Intertwining Fates

• First Meeting (the café): The scene where Mia and Sebastian collide and spill coffee is a symbolic moment — the two beginning their acquaintance by 'colliding' over their respective ways of life. This collision is not a mere accident but the first point of contact where their worldviews meet.
• The conversation at the Lighthouse Café: Sebastian's speech in which he argues passionately that 'jazz is by no means comfortable music' is the apex of the artistic conviction he is fighting to protect. Mia, even after hearing this explanation, dismisses jazz as 'background music' — showing her practical perspective.
• The Griffith Observatory (ending): The scene of dancing beneath the Milky Way is the moment the two are most perfectly immersed in 'fantasy.' This beautiful moment suggests that their love shines brightest here — yet it is simultaneously the most 'unreal' instant, and they are ultimately destined to diverge when they collide with the wall of reality.

4. Influence Beyond the Film: The Question of the Price of Dreams

'La La Land' transcends a simple romantic musical to pose a universal question to contemporary society: what should one choose between 'success' and 'artistic purity'? This question makes audiences endlessly reconsider the balance between their own dreams and reality, deepening the thematic resonance of the film.