The Ending of La La Land was Perfect

Here's to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem.

The best, most controversial hot take I can offer at any social gathering is this: the ending of La La Land was perfect. 

Each time this magical, colorful, musical masterpiece of a film is brought up in conversation, I hear the same opinion (often accompanied by a shudder or cringe): “Mia and Sebastian should’ve ended up together.”

To most, La La Land is a tragedy, an incomplete tale of two lovers. The ending, with its twisted epilogue of “what could’ve been,” leaves the viewer feeling upset and confused. 

Why did Sebastian leave Mia? Or why did Mia leave Sebastian? Why is the end of their love story so ambiguous? Why did the relationship end in the first place?

So much is left unsaid, it seems, and yet I wholeheartedly believe this ending perfectly captures an intrinsic human experience, offering a beautiful reflection on heartache and love, dreams and desires, and most of all, happiness.

Mia and Sebastian’s relationship begins with the most picturesque meet-cute — Mia flipping Seb off as he swerves around her car in stand-still L.A. traffic, blaring his horn long enough to merit an eye roll in return. 

Part of the charm of Mia and Sebastian’s story is their front of disgust disguising flirtation. As the film unfolds, they share moments of growing irritation: Sebastian brushes past Mia in a restaurant after she’s entranced by his music; Mia requests a pool party song she knows will annoy Sebastian to no end; and the climax of their distaste: “What a waste of a lovely night.”  

But as all Hollywood lovers do, Mia and Sebastian fall in love. From Sebastian’s charming and aloof tenderness, to Mia’s determined and wonder-filled spirit, they become wrapped up in one another, drifting away into a dreamland. 

As they begin to dream of love, their personal dreams start to develop on-screen as well. Sebastian is determined to found his own jazz bar, and Mia is set on becoming an actress, performing a one-woman show in the meantime.

In their early stages, neither dream fully breaks through the surface, and in tandem, their relationship begins to collapse, too. In a tense conversation, Mia accuses Sebastian of abandoning his dreams after he joins a pop-jazz band:

MIA

You had a dream that you were sticking to, that --

SEBASTIAN

This is the dream!

MIA

This is not your dream.

But soon after, Mia plans to give up on her dreams, too. The one-woman show drains Mia of all hope and finances, and she moves back home, leaving both of her dreams — Sebastian, and her career as an actress — in Los Angeles. Time passes, and Sebastian shows up with a shred of hope: another audition that could lead to the spotlight.

In this moment, Mia’s fears are brought to light: “Maybe I’m one of those people who’s always wanted to do it but never had a chance. It’s a pipe dream. Maybe it’s like you said. Maybe I need to grow up.”

Suddenly, her perspective on dreams has drastically changed. Mia, a dreamer at heart, is moments away from her final bow. But Sebastian won’t let that happen.

In Mia’s breathtaking song, “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” she seeks to fulfill this life-long dream one last time, offering a tribute to those who are brave enough to dream:  

Here’s to the ones who dream

Foolish as they may seem

Here’s to the hearts that ache

Here’s to the mess we make

Following this scene, they have a choice to make. From the moment Mia accused Sebastian of deserting his dream, their relationship began to unravel. And yet on separate occasions, they each encouraged the other back toward their dreams — to what makes their heart come alive. 

In this scene, neither one holds an accusatory tone. Instead, they give the other permission to pursue their dreams again, even if their lives branch off in different directions because of it. (I highly recommend watching this scene.)

MIA

What do we do?

SEBASTIAN

I don’t think we can do anything. Because when you get this --

MIA

If I get this --

 SEBASTIAN

When you get this -- you’ve got to give it everything you’ve got. It’s your dream.

MIA

What are you going to do?

SEBASTIAN

I’ve got to follow my own plan. Stay here. Get my own thing going. You know...

…

SEBASTIAN

I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.

MIA

You know I’m always going to love you.

SEBASTIAN

I’m always going to love you too.

At this point, many, if not most, rom-coms would idolize the romantic relationship, and each lovers’ dream would quickly and unrealistically resolve for the sake of love. But La La Land does something different.  

Mia and Sebastian realize that although they love one another, it seems they each have a dream they cannot share — which makes the ending all the more devastating. Mia must go to Paris, and Sebastian stays in L.A.  

Everyone argues that their dreams could still become true together — long distance can work, right? — and that is where the brilliant, jaw-dropping epilogue comes in.  

In the most heart-wrenching 7 minutes and 39 seconds of the movie, we see a version of their shared life where each dream does come true. A version that is perfect, anticipated, and desired. For those mere minutes, I thought I was watching the final scene of La La Land. 

But then the scene changes, back to… reality. Everything within us freezes. Because that wasn’t the ending we wanted. 

But it was the one Mia and Sebastian did. 

In one simple, sweet nod, it becomes clear that they do, in fact, still hold love for the other. Perhaps Mia and Sebastian’s true love came from each individual letting the other chase their dream rather than leave it behind. 

In this story, each dreamer faced a choice. A difficult choice, with a store of heartache and promise in either direction. And in both versions of their life, Mia and Sebastian are happy. 

Yes, Mia and Sebastian could have sacrificed their dreams for each other. And yes, they could’ve risked it all in the name of love. We, the audience, get to see the outcome of each risk. They were happy together!

But they were also happy apart. They chose to let the other leave; to possibly never find new love and happiness at the risk of chasing a dream.

This story and its ending remain convicting and powerful because in both the epilogue and reality, in the risk and in the dreams, happiness abounds. The choice was made, and it’s beautiful.

xx H.C.