Review of Lady Bird (2017) by João P — 07 Feb 2018

Lady Bird: Written and directed by Greta Gerwig.

This coming of age story is sweeping the award nominations. It seems to be pretty favorably looked upon by critics across the lands. This is certainly a coming of age film. The lead character who designates herself Lady Bird in blatant defiance of her parents is struggling with who she is. She is struggling with acceptance and finding love in the town that she hates so much but informs her every being Sacramento.

It's hard to sympathize and understand Lady Bird at first. She treats her parents and friends like crap. For me at least, I was standoffish to this when I encountered it in the movie. I wanted to hate her so much for this. I had to stop myself and think what she is going through. I had to remind myself the kinds of mistakes I made as a teenager.

Once I had this understanding, the movie flowed along much better. It was a tender story between a daughter and a mother. They have a hard time communicating with each other about what the other wanted. Lady Bird wants to leave and experience the world. Her mother wants her close to home.

This is a fine film. It shows a personal side to this filmmaker or at least it feels that way. I can recommend this movie safely. I give this movie a B.