Lady Bird, the directorial debut from actress Greta Gerwig, is a refreshing coming-of-age tale about a girl from Sacramento, California, “the other side of the tracks.” Winner of two golden globes and nominated for five academy awards, this comedy/drama documents the Christine (Lady Bird), as she lives through every facet of the human experience: from its grim perversions to its acclaimed triumphs.
This movie gets an 8/10. Its excellence lies in its appearance of genius.
Don't misunderstand me. I am far from believing this movie is overrated, cliché or should be snubbed from the awards cycle.
It earns its plaudits, but it bears mentioning that it is semi-autobiographical. Gerwig drew the inspiration for Lady Bird’s loveable, awkward screen persona from her own experiences. It's a memoir disguised as fiction.
The movie's genius lies in its unselfconscious honesty. Gerwig's blood drenches the pages of this script.
She deliberated for years on the general anxiety, juvenile behavior, pseudo-relationships, and yelling matches with her mom that are secondary to life as a teenager. This film beautifully captures the reality of the transitional stage we all face as humans.
“Lady Bird,” starring Saoirse Ronan, is a fascinating, external representation of an inner conflict within us all. It’s comparable to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C. The character of Lady Bird serves as an anonymous symbol for the emotions, passions, and consciousness that we all experience.
The proverbial theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is illustrated here. Everyone has needs, not only of a material nature but of a metaphysical nature. The pillars, hypothesized by Maslow, are self-actualization, esteem, love/belonging, safety, and the physiological.
Relationships, comprising aspects of all five pillars, are the central theme in this film, dictating who we are and what future we build for ourselves.
This indiscreet spotlight is shone primarily on Lady Bird and her mother, but the film examines those in Christine’s peripheral sphere of contact as well.
Gerwig elegantly conveys the transactional dynamics between people and the unseen forces that control them and their actions.
