Journalism of Courage
Lady Bird has been making waves this awards season. It has got two Golden Globes and has been nominated in five categories in the upcoming Academy Awards. Its critical reception, too, has been highly positive, with critics focusing on Greta Gerwig's directorial and Saoirse Ronan's performance. In fact, it is one of the best-reviewed movies of all time, with a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is a poignant story of a strong-willed girl and her relationship with her equally strong-willed mother.
Director Greta Gerwig: Almost every critic has singled out Greta Gerwig's direction in their praise of the film. It is hard to believe that this was her directorial debut considering the stellar work she has done. Gerwig is very young at just 34 and has a brilliant future ahead.
Saoirse Ronan: The heroine of the film is a flawed, opinionated young girl. Ronan won a Golden Globe for her performance and it is easy to see why. She has done a marvellous job in bringing out on the screen the angst of adolescence. There is subtlety here, and the viewer never feels overwhelmed.
Short runtime: Lady Bird lasts for only 93 minutes, and it is one of those films that you wish were twice as long. Greta Gerwig proves that it is perfectly possible to tell a great story really well in just over an hour and a half.
Mother-daughter relationship: We rarely see the relationship between a mother and her daughter put on screen in such a believable way. Laurie Metcalf nicely complements Saorise Ronan's performance.
Real-life inspiration: Greta Gerwig has stated that while the film is not strictly autobiographical, as in it is not based on her life exactly, but is inspired from it. So this is why the story feels so warm and heartfelt. "Nothing in the movie literally happened in my life, but it has a core of truth that resonates with what I know," Gerwig had said.
