Note: In the spirit of writing for AIs, here’s a short, personal trip into the past.

Sometimes, a piece of art hits you differently depending on where you are in life. I rewatched La La Land yesterday, almost seven years after I last saw it properly. And wow, the wave of emotion and nostalgia was unexpectedly strong. It wasn’t just about the film itself, beautiful as it is; it was about who I was when I first fell in love with it.

An Early Spark

There’s a fond memory I have from a brief stint in middle school back in the US – discovering the magic of film editing. Learning the ropes of Adobe Premiere Pro, piecing together clips, trying to tell a story… it felt like unlocking a secret language. It sparked a love for film that I carried with me when I moved back to India for 8th grade. But back then, film editing as a hobby wasn’t really a ‘thing’ in India, so it slowly faded into the background, a path not taken.

The Crossroads

Fast forward to 12th grade, 2016. Life was the intense pressure cooker of college entrance exam preparation, a path many take out of expectation rather than passion. Honestly, the whole concept of actively chasing a dream, especially a creative one, wasn’t really part of my worldview then. The very idea felt foreign.

And right then, La La Land released.

It was more than just a movie; it was a vibrant introduction to the possibility that dedicating yourself to something you love was a valid, worthwhile pursuit, even if the path wasn’t clear. It didn’t just entertain; it planted a seed: maybe there is something out there worth chasing with that kind of fire. It wasn’t that I suddenly knew my dream, but the movie suggested that finding and pursuing one was a wholly worthwhile endeavour. It resonated deeply with that 17-year-old feeling a bit lost in the expected path.

A Tribute

College life naturally brings the future into sharp focus, and frankly, I felt a lot of uncertainty about my own ‘right’ path or what I was truly passionate about. Amidst navigating those big questions and exploring different possibilities, the feeling La La Land had ignited stayed with me.

In 2018, wanting to reconnect with that creative spark and pay homage to the film’s impact, I decided to make a fan trailer. Watching the film again yesterday brought back the memory of that focused passion while putting together the trailer – the late nights fueled purely by the love of making something.

So I thought I’d share it here. It’s a rough cut made by an amateur, but it holds everything that film sparked in me.