“I’m always gonna love you.”
“I’m always gonna love you, too.”

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The phrase “show me, don’t tell me,” is used all the time when talking about films. Such a simple thing, yet can be so impactful in a film. Especially in a certain type of film, such as La La Land. When you take a concept like Inception, let’s just say, that’s a movie you’d need to be told just as much as shown. Simply because of the ideas and concepts it revolves around. But with La La Land, you don’t need to be told anything. It all needs to be shown, and it’s done beautifully in several different ways.

Most evident is the ending 20 minutes. When Seb sees Mia at his club, he instantly thinks of what could have been. He remembers all the great times, the love, and the passion they had for each other. He is visibly shaken as he sits at the piano for several seconds. It’s dead quiet. Not a sound to be heard. Just a man sitting at his piano, in front of a whole crowd who’s come to see him. And what is he doing? He’s remembering how amazing it was with the love of his life, the girl that he let get away. Wishing he could have it all back. He’s achieved his dream of owning his own club, playing his own music in celebration of the history and appreciation he has for jazz. But he’d trade it all away for his once partner.

Mia’s simple presence inspires Sebastian to play like he’s never played before, and it’s brilliant and perfect. He plays as if it’s a tribute to her, a way of saying he still loves her. The way that Damien Chazelle captures this moment is truly beautiful. The colors are vibrant and the dancing is elegant. The cuts are quick and we see a variety of emotions our characters feel, from real pain to make believe happiness. But what makes this final scene is the music. A combination of every original song used in the film, this song embodies everything that makes this film magical. If you could capture love and turn it into a song, it would sound like the final song that Sebastian plays.

Showing “what could have been” for our couple is honestly enough to bring you to tears. Not a single word is spoken during this song, it’s just all visual storytelling. Then finally, the ending. I’m shaken over the fact that this is how Chazelle ends the film. Virtually every love story follows the typical trope of couple falls in love, couple gets in ugly fight, couple gets together and happy ending. Not here, not this. It shows that love hurts and love doesn’t always work out. It’s realistic and sad and beautiful all at the same time. All with showing us and not telling us. Without a doubt, the final 20 minutes of La La Land is the best 20 minutes I’ve ever seen in a film, ever.

I haven’t even talked about anything outside of the last 20 minutes, but it’s all perfect. I wanted to take an unconventional route from my normal reviews and just talk about what really impacted me. It’s all amazing, everything about this film. But those last 20 minutes, mixing fantasy and reality, there’s literally nothing better. Love hurts. We don’t always end up with the person who we’re meant to be with. And not only that concept, but how it’s told, will forever be one of the greatest creations in cinema.

Rating: A+