Night of the stars

Darkness in many of these films isn’t just of the day; it’s of character itself. The disloyalty of Troy in Fences. The bloodlust of Tanner Howard in Hell or High Water. The violence—inner and outer—of Lee Chandler in Manchester by the Sea. The treacherous conformism of Kevin in Moonlight.

La La Land: The stuff of dreams

La La Land shows how songs can make for deeply satisfying exploratory adventures into the characters’ subconscious. It shows how such musical exaggerations can be beautifully escapist.