Direction: Greta Gerwig
Country: USA
Greta Gerwig’s sophomore directorial feature, Little Women, is an inspired adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, doing what few movies based on great books can do. The director adopts a flowing, leisurely style, preferring a breezy warmth and humor to the usual boring details and sentimental baits that, most of the times, inundate these period dramas.
This heartfelt, coming-of-age story, set in post Civil-War America, allows us to keep pace with the growth of the four March sisters, from childhood to womanhood. The brave, hot tempered, and independent Jo (Saoirse Ronan) is a talented writer and teacher in New York who refuses to comply with the established conventions regarding the role of women in the society; the slightly rebellious painter-wannabe Amy (Florence Pugh) competes with Jo for attention; the ambitious eldest sister, Meg (Emma Watson), is tired of being poor and just aims at a good marriage; and the quiet Beth (Eliza Scanlen), the shyest of the sisters, has in music her main interest in life.
Raised by their kind-hearted mother, Marmee (Laura Dern), they are all so different in nature, but also extremely united. Episodes of jealousy are frequently depicted with humor and involve the sisters' wealthy neighbor, Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (Timothée Chalamet), whose charms conquer Amy’s heart but not his best friend Jo, with whom he’s in love. Meryl Streep plays the sisters’ aunt marvelously, the family’s spinster who just wants to see the girls well married.
The pace is set to perfection and you won’t find one single dull moment here. Gerwig masterfully builds up this story with appealing ease and self-assurance, planting it over a solid structure that doesn’t shrivel at any stage. The camera lens captures everything that’s relevant with curiosity and spirit, and both director and cast fuel the proceedings with the more delightful of the touches.
This refreshingly smart take on Little Women reaches the dimensions of a new classic. It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest movies of 2019.
