Sweeping through theaters as a smash hit, the musical drama “La La Land” took to the screen in December 2016. The film earned a whopping 91% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and boasts glowing reviews while holding a strong fan base consisting of musical and film lovers alike. Following the story of aspiring actress Mia Dolan, portrayed by Emma Stone, and old-soul jazz enthusiast Sebastian Wilder, portrayed by Ryan Gosling, the story shares themes of love, loss and ambition to emotionally shake the audience to their core. While critics tend to classify “La La Land” as an innovative romance feature, a multitude of justifications cement the film as an offbeat psychological thriller.
“In scenes like the planetarium scene, it sort of disconnects you from reality while also using the lighting of the regular room to sort of disorient you. The whole breakup too ended terribly, yet they still gave the whole montage of their life together which sort of highlights how things could have gone but then the plot twist, that is not what happened. Plus how it was supposed to be a realistic movie about a relationship but then the random musical moments where everyone broke into song turned it into this unsettling and uneasy feeling scene because everyone was acting in sort of a hive mind,” sophomore Alex Rivers said.
People may argue that “La La Land” should not hold the label of a psychological thriller because, after all, the film closely resembles the typical romance drama film featuring heartbreak and loss. The feature contains no violence, crime or substance abuse and simply does not strike fear into the audience the way typical thrillers do. While the ending remains nonetheless unsavory, people can claim that it in no way pushes into the psychological thriller genre.
Within the definition of a psychological thriller, narrative devices such as an emphasis on the character’s thoughts and mental states appear. “La La Land” does indeed portray these elements, albeit unusually, by following Dolan and Wilder separately through their daily lives and providing glimpses into the emotions they feel as their relationship develops. As far as mental illness, while the majority of thrillers focus on schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, “La La Land” focuses on the emotional turmoil of a breakup. The film portrays the anxiety and stress Dolan and Wilder face through their thoughts and actions. While the claim stands that the movie may not classify as a thriller, “La La Land” does fit the description of a thriller, however, it uses unique methods in comparison to other films.
“‘La La Land’ is not a psychological thriller because it lacks the suspense and intense exploration of one. Instead, it focuses on romance, music and character development. It navigates their personal dreams and love lives, showcasing the highs and lows of pursuing someone’s dreams. There are moments of emotional struggle but it is dealt with lyrical storytelling rather than continuing the psychological tension,” freshman Matheus Correia said.
Jericho Writers defines psychological thrillers as a movie with a focus on the element of darkness, generally staying quieter and extremely focused on the protagonist’s inner life as compared to the broader genre of thrillers. This applies to “La La Land” because the main storyline focuses on the emotional state of the main characters, following them through their struggles and placing emphasis on the deterioration of their mental health.
The creators of “La La Land” worked to create a beautiful, yet unsettling vibe for the film through various cinematography techniques including lighting, color grading and camera angles. These aspects serve to enhance the level of suspense by bringing a sense of surrealism — a style that expresses dreamlike and illogical ideas or images. The film contains extremely vibrant and bold colors, which serve to represent different emotions and themes throughout the film, while simultaneously causing the visuals to strike viewers as vaguely unsettling.

Under the classification of psychological thriller, themes of mental illness and suspense commonly arise. “La La Land” illustrates these aspects through the anxiety and emotional turmoil felt when experiencing a breakup. The film calls on the powerful negative emotions of the audience as the main characters grapple with balancing their aspirations and personal lives. Whirling through a rollercoaster of emotions and keeping fans on the edge of their seat with every twist and turn only adds to the thrilling aesthetic. The film follows Dolan and Wilder through a multitude of trials that test not only their love for each other but their ambitions as well. Ultimately, the dynamic lighting and unique storytelling contribute to the suspense, leaving audiences on the edge of their seats as fans attempt to guess what comes next.
The inclusion of an unreliable narrator stands as an element prominent in psychological thriller storylines as well as, creating narratives that contain an additional level of intellectual complexity. An unreliable narrator serves as a protagonist whom the audience can not rely on to tell the full story or include all details. In this case, Dolan serves as an unreliable narrator due to her succumbing to blindness from real life as she falls further in love with Wilder. This development causes the story to feel less rooted in reality through scenes such as when Dolan and Wilder lift off the ground to dance through stars and galaxies in a planetarium. While this scene remains entirely romantic, another interpretation could cause the scene to feel far-away or unnerving.
Tragic and suspenseful endings play a key role in the classification of a film, and ending on a sour note may change the entire movie’s genre. In the majority of romance films, bittersweet and happy endings occur, whereas in “La La Land” the tragic ending leaves fans aching and jarred. With the entire movie following the love story of Dolan and Wilder, only to end with a shocking and unsatisfying split that audiences did not see coming, the motion picture asserts an unusual placement within the thriller genre. The film uniquely utilizes themes of romance and it desires to distract from the overarching suspense and unease that viewers feel as it progresses.
Ultimately, while the technical classification of the film falls under romance, the title psychological thriller uniquely suits “La La Land.” The motion picture includes elements of suspense, surrealist cinematography, tragedy and the inclusion of an unreliable narrator. Each aspect cements “La La Land” further into the thriller category, with an underlying theme of romance distracting viewers from the unsettling nature of the film.