Soft to be strong: a "Little Women" review
Everyone loves a classic. That statement's a generalization, but it seems to be true more often that not. Shakespeare is admired and spurned by junior high and high school English classrooms, Pride & Prejudice is cherished and retold, and at one of my local libraries, there's always a big display of classic literature set up by those in charge of the summer reading program, encouraging teens to dig back in time. Little Women is among those classics. I remember hearing about it in bits and pieces as a kid, reading the novel for myself in sixth grade. The March sisters were lovable protagonists, acquiring Laurie for their adventures throughout the years and finding love, passions, and forgiveness for when they wronged each other. It was a fun journey, and it's no surprise that the novel has been adapted many times over, from TV miniseries to plays to movies.
Greta Gerwig's 2019 film adaptation is the latest entry on that list. Her directorial debut, Lady Bird, was a force in late 2017, the kind of high school bildungsroman comedy that was more bittersweet than funny. It left a mark on me, sending me to tears half an hour after I finished it. That's when I knew Gerwig was one to watch. To discover her name attached to this project was something exciting, another eloquent and heartrending showcase of strong women throughout time. What did I find when I saw this movie on New Year's Day?
Another wonderful film from Gerwig. Featuring brilliant acting, impeccable styling, and a way of storytelling that breathes new life into the classic story, Little Women tells a story of one family full of resilient women, ones who make mistakes, desire sometimes impossible things, but never sacrifice who they really are to achieve what they want. A nonlinear format and an ending that blurs the line between construct and reality further elevate this classic into something new, while never straying away from its familiar roots. As such, this period piece is a breath of fresh air, a wonderful iteration of a beautiful classic that shows Gerwig's talent once more.
Jo March is an aspiring writer in New York, teaching children at the boarding house where she lives when she doesn't have a pen in hand. When she tries pitching a story to a local publishing company, telling the main editor it's from a good friend of hers, the editor gives her advice: "make it short and spicy, and if the main character is a girl," she must die or be married by the final page. Jo, happy just to be published, is excited despite the sacrifices, but after a fellow teacher is brutally honest about her work, Jo is hurt. Once she receives word from her boss that youngest March sister Beth is gravely ill, she has an out.
As Jo returns home, oldest sister Meg struggles with jealousy due to her poverty, and Amy works on her art in Paris, an old childhood friend named Laurie reappearing there. All these present moments are interspersed with flashbacks, unlike the original presentation of the novel. As the girls gather around each other while their father fights in the Civil War, they meet the grandson of their neighbor, Theodore "Laurie" Laurence. He quickly gets swept up in the fervor of their lives, from secret club meetings to helping Jo save Amy from drowning. As the girls grow older, passions and relationships shifting, will they remain constant in each other's lives? Or will growing up shift them further apart?
There's something so sentimental and nostalgic about Little Women, and the nonlinear storytelling elevates this feeling for me. I was not expecting it when the movie started rolling, but I loved it right away. It makes the differences between past and present much more stark, as we see the March sisters bounce between childhood and adulthood, relationships at their brittle ends and fresh beginnings. Further exaggerated by the film coloring (cool and blue for the present, warm and yellow for the past), these once chronological parallel timelines become so much more, almost as if they're two separate universes, timeless in their suspension. It's very well done work, especially because we get to see more of an evolution with Amy and Laurie's relationship and Jo's work in New York.
The acting is excellent. Unsurprisingly, Saoirse Ronan's Jo is electric and radiant, another stellar performance from her. The rest of the ensemble supports her and offers great performances of their own (the legends are legendary, and Emma Watson holds her own as Meg despite a thin American accent). However, I was most impressed with Florence Pugh's Amy. Pugh has been a rising star in Hollywood for the past few years, and her performance is a clear showcase as to why. She exudes a confidence onscreen that is stunning to watch, and I love the transition the audience sees as Amy goes from a coy and bratty girl to an honest and strong-willed young woman. There's a resilience in her conversations with Laurie in Paris that reveal vulnerability without sacrificing who she is. It's brilliant work.
Everything from the cinematography to the set design really emphasizes why this story, the March sisters, and their escapades is a timeless classic. Yes, this is the story of white women living in a time where black people, in particular black women, were facing horrible treatment as slaves (the irony of white girls complaining they're poor while being surrounded by set dressings and wearing costumes that must cost a fortune is not lost on me). Both faced discrimination and non-believers in their abilities, yet obviously, women of color fared worse. A few critics have noted this story doesn't feel representative of our climate now. Yes, women still face discrimination, but what about featuring women of color at the helm of a work like this? It's a valid point. Yet there's something about each sister that all women may connect to, a grandeur in everything that feels heartfelt, not shrill. Gerwig and crew deftly tackle the conflicts while giving each something modern to chew on in terms of feminism. These are strong women, and while they are white, their personalities and struggles do have some universality to them. There are even retellings of Little Women featuring women of color by women of color; if those retellings appeal to you more, by all means, read them. Appeal to this saga reigns on, and despite its white focus, this movie is still great.
There is some deviation present in Gerwig's adaptation, notably the ending. While some watchers have compared it to Inception in its calling of what is canon, I feel like it's faithful in what the work set out to do in the first place. After all, Jo is writing a story about her life. She'll make the necessary fabrications in order to have it published, but she won't stop fighting for the truth she knows. In that sense, I knew what my true ending of the story was, but it's up to the person to determine their own.
With that, 2019's Little Women is excellent. Gerwig proves her strengths as a director and screenwriter once more, with a cast that further elevates the heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking story of a family of strong women, fighting for what they want out of life but always supporting one another. It's an epic tale for those eager to spend some time getting to know characters and jumping between points in time. Both a fresh new spin and faithful adaptation, this will be worth your while.
