Little Women - Review
Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep
After her sublime directorial debut in 2017 with Lady Bird, a coming-of-age film that explored the complex dynamic of a mother-daughter relationship, Greta Gerwig returns with her sophomore endeavour - Little Women. It's a narrative that we're all acquainted with, but Gerwig's emphasis on sisterhood and womanhood separates her interpretation and gives a fresh voice to a familiar story.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy come of age under difficult and uncertain times. Though they each have very different drives and temperaments, the March sisters and their impenetrable bond transcends hardships in both life and love.
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents" is one of the most famous opening lines of any novel and is the introduction to the March sisters that we have come to expect across the numerous film adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 classic Little Women. Gerwig scuppers this tradition and begins the film with the March sisters in adulthood; Jo lives in New York and tutors whilst selling her stories to the newspaper, Amy resides in Paris as a companion to her Aunt March, Meg is a housewife and mother to twins and Beth lives a quiet, domesticated life at home with her parents.
After establishing the status quo of each sister, Gerwig transports the narrative back seven years and the writer-director deftly moves between the two timelines throughout the film's duration. Every flashback to their younger years informs Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy's adulthood and the non-linear narrative serves to move the story forward to reach its emotional resolution.
Gerwig's deep adoration for Alcott's enduring story and her connection to these classic characters pulsates within every frame of the film. While Saoirse Ronan's Jo (the actress delivers another stunning performance) and her attempts to forge a literary career and make her own way in the world is the film's driving force, the other three March sisters are given a depth and nuance that has been notably absent from previous screen iterations. The character who has most benefitted from Gerwig's thoughtful attention is the youngest March sister, Amy (a sensational Pugh). Typically portrayed as spoilt and coddled, Gerwig and Pugh have aligned Amy with the audiences' sympathies, making her a character who is acutely aware of her position as a young woman in a society where marrying rich is the only means of acquiring money and leading a better life.
Kudos and praise must also be directed toward costume designer Jacqueline Durran and composer Alexandre Desplat whose respective work standout upon repeated viewings as the numerous layers and details richly add to this moving portrait of four women's lives. Durran incorporates items of Jo's clothing into Laurie's (Chalamet) and vice versa to reflect their close relationship and androgyny. Meanwhile, Desplat creates a score that imbues all of the joy and folly of youth before seamlessly transitioning it into adulthood where the notes are sparser and more melancholic to mimic the complications that arise during the Marches' lives over the years.
Subversive yet faithful, traditional yet modern - Greta Gerwig's flawless adaptation has proven that this 19th century tale of little women with big hearts, minds and souls is a timeless one that will continue to inspire and delight new generations.
EB
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep
After her sublime directorial debut in 2017 with Lady Bird, a coming-of-age film that explored the complex dynamic of a mother-daughter relationship, Greta Gerwig returns with her sophomore endeavour - Little Women. It's a narrative that we're all acquainted with, but Gerwig's emphasis on sisterhood and womanhood separates her interpretation and gives a fresh voice to a familiar story.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy come of age under difficult and uncertain times. Though they each have very different drives and temperaments, the March sisters and their impenetrable bond transcends hardships in both life and love.
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents" is one of the most famous opening lines of any novel and is the introduction to the March sisters that we have come to expect across the numerous film adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 classic Little Women. Gerwig scuppers this tradition and begins the film with the March sisters in adulthood; Jo lives in New York and tutors whilst selling her stories to the newspaper, Amy resides in Paris as a companion to her Aunt March, Meg is a housewife and mother to twins and Beth lives a quiet, domesticated life at home with her parents.
After establishing the status quo of each sister, Gerwig transports the narrative back seven years and the writer-director deftly moves between the two timelines throughout the film's duration. Every flashback to their younger years informs Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy's adulthood and the non-linear narrative serves to move the story forward to reach its emotional resolution.
Gerwig's deep adoration for Alcott's enduring story and her connection to these classic characters pulsates within every frame of the film. While Saoirse Ronan's Jo (the actress delivers another stunning performance) and her attempts to forge a literary career and make her own way in the world is the film's driving force, the other three March sisters are given a depth and nuance that has been notably absent from previous screen iterations. The character who has most benefitted from Gerwig's thoughtful attention is the youngest March sister, Amy (a sensational Pugh). Typically portrayed as spoilt and coddled, Gerwig and Pugh have aligned Amy with the audiences' sympathies, making her a character who is acutely aware of her position as a young woman in a society where marrying rich is the only means of acquiring money and leading a better life.
Kudos and praise must also be directed toward costume designer Jacqueline Durran and composer Alexandre Desplat whose respective work standout upon repeated viewings as the numerous layers and details richly add to this moving portrait of four women's lives. Durran incorporates items of Jo's clothing into Laurie's (Chalamet) and vice versa to reflect their close relationship and androgyny. Meanwhile, Desplat creates a score that imbues all of the joy and folly of youth before seamlessly transitioning it into adulthood where the notes are sparser and more melancholic to mimic the complications that arise during the Marches' lives over the years.
Subversive yet faithful, traditional yet modern - Greta Gerwig's flawless adaptation has proven that this 19th century tale of little women with big hearts, minds and souls is a timeless one that will continue to inspire and delight new generations.
EB
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