Based on the widely acclaimed novel by Louisa May Alcott, Greta Gerwig’s 2019 film Little Women follows the lives of four sisters: Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), and Beth (Eliza Scanlen).
These sisters are more than just your typical sisters. Despite their wildly ranging personalities and individual challenges, they all share a sisterhood so strong and genuine you can’t help but fall in love with their bond.
Photo Credit: Indiewire
The film weaves in out from the past and present, maintaining a balance between allowing the plots to unfurl and focusing on the sisters’ lives in both the past and present storylines. To aid the understanding of the different timelines, color palettes play a crucial role in the film for not only making the film look gorgeous, but also reflecting the various moods throughout the film. For instance, in the past storyline, the Marches’ home is drenched in a warm color palette with tones of yellow, orange, red, and beige. The palette reflects the warmth and happiness the March sisters exude as they lead a life filled with childlike innocence and happiness. On the flip side, in the present storyline, a cold color palette with harsh shades of blue and white are used as the sisters fall on hard times. In making the film visually appealing, the color palettes add a sense of reality to the film as they shine a light on both the highlights and imperfections of the sisters.
The cast does an amazing job of establishing and maintaining their respective characters’ unique personalities and ambitions. Saoirse Ronan adds spunk and sass to her portrayal of the adventurous and ambitious Jo. Emma Watson maintains a graceful and loving demeanor as the eldest sister Meg, while Eliza Scanlen’s Beth is impossible to dislike. Florence Pugh stands out in her portrayal of Amy, as she is able to draw sympathy towards the character through her raw and emotional performance.
While the acting and cinematography were excellent, the film still fell a bit short in terms of plot. The ending felt a bit rushed and forced, as there was not much time spent on developing the sisters’ romantic relationships, which made some of these relationships a bit awkward to watch. It was also a little hard to believe that the sisters were too occupied to help Grace towards the end of the film, considering the film heavily emphasizes their sisterhood and strong support system. However, given the fact that the film only had so much time to delve into the March sisters’ stories, these minor plot issues don’t overshadow the film.
With an outstanding cast and amazing cinematography, Little Women will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with the March sisters as they embark on their life journeys and create their own destinies. It is definitely a movie you wouldn’t want to miss.
Gather your girl gang together to check out “Little Women” at a theater near you!
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