Junior Running Start student Yasmin Ettobi was unsure whether or not she liked La La Land in the first twenty minutes, but after that, she said, “I got really into it and really liked all the songs and the acting.”

Drawing his inspiration from films such as The Young Girls of Rochefort, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, director Damien Chazelle said during an interview with People Magazine’s Joe McGovern that he intended for it “to feel like a city bustling with music.”

The movie has, since its release in 2016, won seven Golden Globe Awards including Best Director, Best Film, Best Actress and Actor and Best Original Song, as well as numerous other accolades. Ettobi, after seeing La La Land six times, purchased a book containing the soundtrack. “I loved the songs so much, and I wanted to learn them because my mom and I are obsessed with all the songs. We even listen to the soundtrack in the car.”

Senior Chrisline Allagones explains that “this movie is so much more than a romance, it addresses the struggles of being aspiring artists in a small town and working hard to be the best actress or performer they can be.” The two main characters, Mia and Sebastian, an aspiring actress and playwright, and a jazz fanatic with dreams of opening his very own jazz club are faced with reality as their dreams do not include enough room for each other. The ending as Allagones states, “is profound and also bittersweet,” because neither Mia nor Sebastian sacrifice their goals and dreams to support the other.”

Junior Addie Talbot, agreed with Allagones on the abrupt and almost disappointing conclusion to this seemingly perfect romantic movie. “It felt so painful to watch their final montage full of color and light and what their life could have been like, only to have it not work out.” Despite the somewhat disappointing ending, the romantic story of Mia and Sebastian made the viewers swoon and maybe even consider their own relationships or lack thereof.

Some viewers enjoyed the musical elements and the twist on modern musicals. Senior Cole Pobanz, who admired the songs and overarching theme of jazz revival, encouraged everyone to see the movie “even if you like jazz a little bit, you need to watch [La La Land.]”