Archetypes: Film: Review: ‘La La Land’ (2016)

Dreams, under the aegis of archetypal Neptune – ruler of film, actors, music and musicians – are slippery, hard-to-hold figments, operating in the depths of the unconscious.

And trying to live out a dream in the waking state often means an endless clash between the transcendence of one’s pursuits and the hardcore reality of meeting material needs.

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, the modern-day musical La La Land is set in Los Angeles, the heart of unrealistic expectations and all things fuzzily and seductively Neptunian, and where two kids fall under the spell of the illusory watery god and each other.

The duo are actress Mia (Emma Stone) and old-school jazz musician Seb (Ryan Gosling) who first connect briefly and unpleasantly on a gridlocked freeway.

Through chance meetings and dates – including one at the Griffith Observatory where aiming for the stars neatly aligns with Neptunian aspirations – they become friends and, eventually, a couple.

Curve balls appear: the necessity of taking paying work that’s not in accord with one’s artistic values, as well as the profound discouragement of feeling like a blur when auditioning. Archetypal Neptune also rules  saving and being saved, actions – our own and those of others – that can keep us whole under the worst of circumstances.

A deceptive entity that rules both feelings of inflation and lack of self-esteem, Neptune has no boundaries, which means dreams don’t have expiration dates. But how long should lovers hold out? Mia and Seb aren’t spared from reality’s intrusions into living the fairy tale.

Archetype: Actor. Musician. Illusion. Reality.

Astrology Archetype: ♆ (Neptune)