Out of the many movies that came out this holiday season, Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig, was one of the best movies to premiere. The cast list was enough to provide promise, along with the amazing story behind it.
The cast of Little Women truly did call my attention to the movie. Saoirse Ronan takes the lead as Jo March, an aspiring author. Emma Watson plays Meg March, an amazing actress who dreams of finding love and a family. Florence Pugh plays Amy, an artist with a realistic view of a woman’s life. The last sister is Beth, a shy pianist who balances the strong personalities of her sisters and brings them together, played by Eliza Scanlen. Ronan and Watson already have quite the reputation through previous films that did well in the box office (Brooklyn, Lady Bird, Harry Potter, The Perks of Being a Wallflower). I had my eyes on Florence Pugh since I knew she was going to be in the new Black Widow movie this coming year, but she was honestly a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t known what to expect, but she brought all of the complexity of being a middle child of four girls, having dreams and aspirations in a time when a woman’s purpose was to marry, and the complexities of love. Oh yeah, and you can’t forget about the genius of Meryl Streep.
The Little Women movie has a lot of flashbacks in order to show the development of relationships over time. This strategy has been used countless times throughout history, but the thing I love about Greta’s version of it is the artistic flare. Gerwig uses color to clarify the difference between the two time periods. Warm colors are used for the past when the family is all together, whereas cooler colors are used for the future when the family is scattered and all at different stages of their life. The coloring of the scenes not only provides the context of time period, but it also creates a feeling that sets an air for the entire moment being shown to us.
Another memorable thing about the movie is the sense of sisterhood and camaraderie that is shown between the March sisters and Laurie, their neighbor. The special thing about this film is that it shows not only the bond created through laughter and creativity, but it also shows the strengthening of those relationships through the betrayal of sisters. While watching the movie, you almost feel like you’re involved the secrets and traditions of the March sisters. You feel included in the bond that they have. The sisters keep their bond close to their chest, as is advertised from the start, so to slyly welcome in an audience into that connection is so special and honestly makes the film that much better.
Little Women is a must see. It’s clever, engaging, and heartwarming all at the same time. The artistic intricacies show the time and thought that was put into the film by the actors, crew, and director, and it was worth it.