10 Most Impactful Movie Scenes From The 2010s
2. La La Land - Happily Ever After?
Damien Chazelle’s romantic musical, may be remembered for its brief moment of mistaken Oscar glory and the director's second appearance on our list, but it should be known for its unexpectedly against-the-grain ending. Centred around the electric couple of Sebastian and Mia; no one knew this colourful, joyful and painterly musical number could be so upsetting.
Five years after choosing their professional careers over one and other, Mia, along with her husband, stumble across a quant jazz bar called “Seb’s” (a name which Mia had suggested to her former lover). Near instantly locking eyes, Sebastian takes to the keys to play a mournful rendition of their song. The lights fade; spotlights on the leads; and we are thrust into a representation of what could have been, involving careers, children and happily ever-afters. A life with their dreams achieved and their love fulfilled.
Tragically heart-warming, audiences are quietly pulled back to the dimly lit bar where Seb and Mya exchange one final look; their expression changing from depressive to accepting. They will never be together, but they are happy for one another, and the time they had together.
Going against the expected romantic conclusion, this emotion-filled ending played on the audiences’ love for the dynamic pair, dangling their happiness just out of reach, before ultimately whipping it away.