Review of Barracuda (2017) by Spangle — 16 Dec 2016

Postmodernism is a film theory that suggests that there is nothing original anymore. If it could be made, it has been made and we are doomed to simply remake a once original idea in perpetuity. Postmodernism also includes ideas regarding nostalgia and hyperreality, positing that cities such as Los Angeles may physically be real, but are in fact, dream worlds that are not actually there. In Damien Chazelle's latest work and, dare I say already, his magnum opus, La La Land, this theory takes center stage. Presenting a world of nostalgia of past love, of old Hollywood, and of jazz, La La Land takes place in the hyperreality of Los Angeles. Though undeniably a celebration of the past and showcasing Chazelle's admiration for old school filmmaking, La La Land is also a critique of nostalgia.

To critique and subvert rules, however, you must understand them. You must embrace them and then tear them apart at the seams so that may no longer be put together. In the first half of the film, Chazelle does exactly this. With large, kinetic, and detailed choreography and musical scenes, the opening sequence is straight out of 1940s/1950s Hollywood with the golden age of MGM. On the wall of Mia Dolan's (Emma Stone) bedroom is a poster of Ingrid Bergman. Another poster in the common area of her apartment has a movie poster featuring John Lancaster and Ava Gardner. Mia works in the Warner Bros. lot across the street from where Casablanca was shot. She and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) have a first date watching Rebel Without a Cause at an old school moviehouse that uses film. The scene of Mia and her roommates strutting down the road is colorful, bombastic, and embraces the vibrancy of old school musicals. La La Land, right down to the details, is about old Hollywood. Similarly, it is about old school Jazz. Sebastian, a piano player, loves jazz and its history. He dreams of opening a jazz club honoring Charlie Parker in its title and replacing the bastardization of the music he loves with its pure past. With bright spotlights, a deep blue hue to the scene, and gorgeous suits, Sebastian's every look and action embraces the history of jazz. The film lush, jazzy score in these moments and its nostalgic song "City of Stars" embrace this world. Yet, both old Hollywood and old school jazz are merely a mirage now. "City of Stars" - a beautifully written and composed piece of music - is dreamy in its melody. It glides by and paints a gorgeous picture of a world that does not exist. This applies to the elements that celebrated here by Chazelle. They are in the past, though they can still be loved, they are not to be emulated. In creating this world initially though, Chazelle strictly follows postmodernism. He uses Los Angeles' hyperreality to create dream sequences that play out in real life. From Mia and Sebastian tap dancing with a view of the city beneath them or them floating up into the stars in an observatory, Chazelle highlights the city's dream-like state of being. During the entirety of the film, the city has a blue filter over it and the end result is that it feels distant and otherworldly. It never feels attainable and - in the minds of Mia, Sebastian, and the audience - the city exists solely in our dreams. And boy do our couple ever dream. Both have huge dreams and, initially, they encourage one another to follow these dreams. Mia follows her acting dream by writing her own one-woman play. Sebastian joins a band in order to raise funds. However, their obsession with the past tears them down. Mia fails. Her play is a failure and no one attends. Her only hope is a TV show that mixes Dangerous Minds with The OC and bears no resemblance to the old Hollywood style of filmmaking she so adores. Sebastian plays music in a band with a guy he hates as the lead singer and music that betrays the soul of the jazz music he loves. Both have sold out and have careened off course. Why? Because of the nostalgia. They became so infatuated with their love of the past, they tried to live it and become a part of the past. Unfortunately, time travel does not yet exist and this is impossible. Times change and things move forward. If you move to the past, you will be left behind in favor of the future. Here, nostalgia can be a destructive force and serves only to distract one from moving forward and attacking life. For Mia and Sebastian, their love of the past distracted them from their goals and, instead of working towards those goals, their reverse focus led to them walking backwards away from their goals. Their relationship even falls into this nostalgia, as evidenced by the very end. Chazelle breaks up the film into seasons, beginning with winter. Here, Mia and Sebastian are incredibly cold to one another and barely know each other. By spring, things heat up and begin to simmer. In summer, their love is brimming with happiness and joy.