This is my second viewing and I loved it more on this viewing - a film that whilst watching you wonder why you’d ever want to watch a different film because it won’t be as good an experience as this. It absolutely flies as well, this feels like time passes by twice as first as other ~2 hour movies. Damien Chazelle films are just different, no other director comes even close to what he creates, they’re so vibrant and inspiring. The 3 drummers playing off for the part in Whiplash, the chaotic set when the talkies are first starting in Babylon and the first party and pool scene (as well as many others) in this are so similar in that they have so much energy and life coming from them. I can’t think of any other films where scenes stand out like that for this reason to me and I don’t know exactly how or why they do but I hope he just continues to bring that film after film after film. 

Every single song is amazing, literally all of them. Justin Herwitz is the perfect balance for Chazelle’s films - I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a movie soundtrack in totality as much as Babylon (maybe Spiderverse) and this won’t be far behind. I don’t know why he hasn’t worked with more directors for film scores to be honest. Often the main score or song of a movie will be amazing but when I go to listen to the soundtrack I find I’m not actually that keen on the other tracks outside of the context of the film but it’s not true at all here. All the songs are great in isolation and each is as reminiscent of La La Land as Mia and Sebastian’s theme is, that you wouldn’t mistake any of them for anything else other than this score. 

I think on previous watch I wasn’t as invested in the storyline (in comparison to my appreciation for the music, the directing, the colours etc.) but this time it was as key as the other aspects in my enjoyment I think. Comparing to Whiplash again, I found that plot far more resonant to the chasing of dreams and the costs of that but now I think this does it just as well and I felt the sadness more towards the end. 

It was funnier than I remember too - a combination of again the directing and the acting made me genuinely laugh. I would maybe even have liked more of these moments and just a slightly longer run time in general to give more time to the relationship when they were together to go with the songs and montages. Because there are not that many scenes of them as a couple which are without those additional artistic elements. 

The fact that I recently heard Damien Chazelle say in an interview that he needs to “wait and see” if his next film he’s working on will get funding because Babylon didn’t do well financially is absolutely insane. Firstly Babylon is an under appreciated masterpiece but even if it didn’t do well in the eyes of the people who make these funding decisions, a guy who’s given us films like this is the best person to give the benefit of the doubt too surely? If an obvious genius in filmmaking is worrying about this, I don’t know what other directors without this pedigree must be facing. 

Anyway I now really want to see this, firstly in cinema and secondly at one of Justin Hurwitz’ live performances of the music because it would undoubtedly be a special experience.