Deciding whether "Whiplash" or "La La Land" is your favourite Damien Chazelle film is like deciding if "Barbie" or "Oppenheimer" is better. Both are masterpieces but of such different tones that it's really down to personal preference.

"La La Land" is my personal preference. I've seen this film years ago and absolutely loved it so it was a pleasure to see that my love for this film still rings true. Damien Chazelle's films all centre around people seeking to be extraordinary but while "Whiplash" is about how much pressure should be applied in order to achieve greatness this instead takes the path of maintaining your passion for the craft no matter what life throws at you- which is immediately brought up in the opening song "Another Day of Sun". It's a dual character study following Mia and Sebastian. Mia is an aspiring actress going through audition after audition with no success in sight. Sebastian aims to open up his own jazz club being a piano player himself. Both are fighting between going for their dreams and bringing in enough of an income to live off so it's still a portrait of the creative struggle just without emotional abuse. The two characters also allows Damien to really explore two areas he's keenly fascinated by- those being Hollywood and Jazz.

The main reason why this has two leads is because it's a love story and a phenomenal one at that. These are people who meet by chance encounter with Sebastian being that "someone in the crowd" for Mia and as they keep meeting form a powerful connection to one another. They have such amazing chemistry with each other and while they have such different tastes are at heart so alike and feel destined to be together. Like "Whiplash" is the struggle between seeking perfection and not destroying yourself in the process, this is all about the conflict between romance and pursuing a career in your passion as work splits these lovers apart for prolonged periods of time. It's at once such an uplifting film but also has melancholy to it seeing that fate works both ways bringing these lovers together but also tearing them apart.

And it's impossible to talk about this film without giving high praise to the music. The creative process is an influence this took from "Singin' in the Rain" but the most obvious is how this pays homage to the classic musicals in particular that film. It's rare nowadays that you see a romantic musical and especially one with tap-dancing but this does more than pay homage. The songs in this written by Pasek and Paul are all standouts bringing forth such a wide range of emotions. "Another Day of Sun" is the opener and the most catchy bringing such a joyous feeling of optimism. "Someone in the Crowd" gets across Mia's hopeful longing for someone to connect to. "City of Stars" is initially longing for fame but becomes a beautiful love song. "The Fools who Dream" is a powerful tribute to those who aim to be creatives or in general escape the norm of their status quo. John Legend's "Start a Fire" which is intended to be the consumerism Sebastian needs to avoid is still well fire. Justin Horowitz conducted the film's score with "Mia and Sebastian's Theme" bringing a tear to the eye being an effective use of sentimentality,

A lot of these songs bring about grand musical set-pieces and it's in these that showcase Damien Chazelle's talents with a much greater budget than what he had with "Whiplash". They are so full of energy and precise editing with impressive dance choreography. Linus Sandgren's cinematography is vibrant, expressionistic and gorgeous to behold.

Ryan Gosling gives one of his best performances in this proving himself to be far more than the man of few words protagonist we know him to be. He is charming, warm and passionate here and it's a shame he didn't win Best Actor (not just because I can't say I won Best Actor. Emma Stone did win Best Actress and rightfully so giving a performance similar to Gosling's but with an added spark.

When this film released it was a juggernaut at the Oscars winning Best Actress; Best Director; Best Cinematography; Best Original Score; Best Original Song (for "City of Stars") and Best Production Design all of which are deserved. It infamously almost won Best Picture and while I think it was very beneficial and still justified for "Moonlight" to win, it deserved the award in my eye.

I'll be looking back at Chazelle's next two films sometime soon (and probably "Moonlight" as well) but "La La Land" still holds a special place in my heart telling an elegant love story with incredible music, direction and performances.