The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (France, 1964)
You can't talk about 'La La Land' without mentioning its biggest inspiration. Jacques Demy’s masterpiece is a one-of-a-kind film where every line of dialogue is sung, set against a backdrop of eye-popping, candy-colored visuals. It tells the story of Geneviève
(a luminous Catherine Deneuve) and Guy (Nino Castelnuovo), two young lovers in a small French port town who are torn apart by circumstance when Guy is drafted into the Algerian War. The film is a full-throated musical that, like 'La La Land', isn't afraid to let reality intrude on its fantasy. The vibrant colors and sweeping score clash beautifully with the story’s melancholic core, culminating in a famously bittersweet final scene that clearly inspired the 'what could have been' epilogue for Mia and Sebastian.
The Young Girls of Rochefort (France, 1967)
If 'Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is 'La La Land’s' tragic heart, this is its joyful, dancing soul. Another masterpiece from Jacques Demy, 'Rochefort' is a sunnier, more optimistic musical about twin sisters (played by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac) who dream of leaving their seaside town for the artistic promise of Paris. The film is an explosion of color, jazz, and intricately choreographed ensemble numbers, following a sprawling cast of characters searching for love and destiny, often just missing each other by moments. It even features Hollywood legend Gene Kelly, directly connecting it to the classic MGM musicals that 'La La Land' so lovingly homages. It captures the exhilarating feeling of a city alive with possibility and the romantic notion of lives intersecting in surprising ways.
Perhaps Love (Hong Kong, 2005)
This lavish Hong Kong production takes the 'past love versus present ambition' theme and dials it up with a meta, film-within-a-film structure. The story follows a director (Jacky Cheung) making a musical that stars his girlfriend (Zhou Xun) and her ex-lover (Takeshi Kaneshiro), forcing all three to confront their tangled romantic history. Like 'La La Land', 'Perhaps Love' explores how the pursuit of fame can strain and sever relationships. The film seamlessly blends spectacular, Bollywood-inspired musical numbers with a non-linear narrative that jumps between the past, the present, and the fictional movie being filmed. It has the same glossy, high-production feel and captures the aching nostalgia for a love that may have been sacrificed for a dream.
Once (Ireland, 2007)
While not a traditional musical where characters burst into song, 'Once' is a film where music is the entire story. Set in Dublin, it follows a struggling street musician (Glen Hansard) and a young Czech immigrant (Markéta Irglová) who bond over a shared passion for songwriting. The film was shot on a shoestring budget with a raw, documentary-like feel, making it the grounded, indie cousin to 'La La Land’s' Hollywood spectacle. The beauty of 'Once' lies in its authenticity; the songs are created by the characters as a way to express the feelings they can’t otherwise articulate. It perfectly captures the magic of creative collaboration turning into a deep, personal connection, and its quietly devastating ending delivers the same powerful, bittersweet ache.
Annette (France/International, 2021)
For a darker, more surreal take on similar themes, Leos Carax's rock opera 'Annette' is a must-see. Written by the band Sparks, the film stars Adam Driver as a provocative stand-up comedian and Marion Cotillard as a world-renowned opera singer. Their passionate, all-consuming romance is thrown into turmoil by the birth of their daughter—portrayed by a wooden marionette—and the corrosive effects of fame, jealousy, and artistic ego. While 'La La Land' explores the melancholy of dreams pulling people apart, 'Annette' dives into the destructive potential of artistic genius and the toxicity that can fester within a relationship built in the public eye. It’s a bold, bizarre, and unforgettable film that acts as a fascinatingly grim counterpoint to Mia and Sebastian's story.
