“Call me Lady Bird.”
Talk about an opening scene. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to present invite you to the madness that is Lady Bird. Directed by Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird follows high school senior Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a girl who feels she is bigger than her routine life in Sacramento. The scene above opens to the brilliant and whimsical nature of the movie, while also balancing such realistic feelings and emotions that propels the entire plot of the movie. I first watched this movie in 2017, in the midst of one of the greatest award show seasons ever. I kept myself constantly updated with each film that was receiving “Oscar buzz”, so naturally this fell at the top of my list. And, needless to say, I was far from disappointed.
I was drawn to this movie for various reasons, the first being the Catholic school aspect of the film. I went to Catholic school all my life before coming to Penn State, and all girls Catholic school for high school. Gerwig is not the first to explore this storyline, but she hits the nail on the hammer in her framing. I felt as though we shared some common secret, almost like a invisible nod through the layered dimensions of the film, saying “Yeah, I get it.”
And Gerwig did get it. What is beautiful about Lady Bird is the reality of it all. Gerwig went to the very school that Lady Bird attends and lived in Sacramento her whole life, creating an unique sense of familiarity, of poignant nostalgia for a place you never have even been. The film is not a biography, but employs this familiarity as a way to make you comfortable within the setting, almost as if you exist in the very memory that Gerwig is creating with the film.
Gerwig’s ability to create a sense of place, a sense of setting is absolutely breathtaking and all-consuming. Setting is not just a background tool in Lady Bird, but the plot itself, moving you along its winding roads and high hills and busy city streets. This move asked me to open my eyes into my own setting and see what beauty it holds before it is all gone. It asked me to be proud of where I came from and understand how it is contributed to my identity.
My hometown of Philadelphia
And, in all honesty, it is easy to listen to a film’s message when it is being told by such incredible actors. I mean, any cast that includes Timothee Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Lucas Hedges, and Laurie Metcalf promises to be brilliant, and this is no exception. The ability for these individuals to showcase such power and strength and vulnerability simultaneously intimidates and inspires me. If these are to be the actors of our generation, the new Hollywood stars, then so be it. I am more than ready to see where they take us.
I really appreciate the way you talk about movies! You make them sound so whimsical and intriguing, and your blog definitely gives me a deeper understanding of film. I’ve never been much a movie person but reading your posts inspires me to become one. Lady Bird peaks my interest too, in particular, because I love movies based on true stories. Something about that makes them all the more special.