Over the Christmas break, I got the opportunity to see the new film adaption of Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig. Now, I am a big fan of Little Women and the other adaptions that have been made of the timeless book (I have seen the one starring Winona Ryder plenty of times).
Beforehand, I didn’t know what to expect when walking into this film. Reviews of the film that I had seen had all been favourable and had applauded Gerwig for her creative outlook on the story.
At first, I thought I hated this adaption. However, after seeing it for a second time, I have completely changed my mind and have named it my favourite adaption of Little Women yet.
This is something that I have always loved about Little Women – each adaption has done something a little bit different and really reflects the time that it was created in.
If you would like an in-depth look at the differences in all the many adaptations, I highly recommend this video!
One thing that stuck out to me in particular was the way they reflected the passions, wants and desires of each of the sisters. This is a very relatable feeling for women of today, where we are allowed to pursue these passions. While these characters aren’t able to do this to the same extent we are, they reflect the feelings of women in our current modern age.
Jo wants to be a writer, Meg is content being a wife but still has a passion for theatre, Amy is a painter and Beth is a pianist.
Throughout the movie, we see each of the sisters struggle with the wants and desires they have versus the lives that have been forced on them by society.
Another aspect of this film that I appreciated was the close relationship between the sisters. The chemistry between the actors was incredible, and you really got the impression that they were close. I especially loved the scene with Jo and Beth on the beach – the cinematography was beautiful!
My only gripe with the film would be the fact that they had the same actress play Amy all throughout the film. While I love Florence Pugh, they should have had a younger actress play Amy for the first act of the film. It was strange to have a clearly grown woman in a schoolhouse with girls who look at least seven years younger.
Overall, this movie was very good and heartwarming. If you have the chance, I would definitely recommend that you go and see it – especially since it is up for quite a few Oscars!
And of course, never fear, the film includes one of the must-have scenes for any adaptation of Little Women: the hair burning scene.