by Joyce Wang ’20, Staff Writer

The movie “Lady Bird” tells a coming-of-age story that is both fresh and intimately authentic. The debut film of Greta Gerwig as both the writer and director, it loosely resembles an autobiography of the director herself in the role of Christine “Lady Bird” McPhearson. Since Gerwig and Lady Bird are both attendants of an all-girls Catholic school and natives of Sacramento, which is oft called the “Midwest of California,” Gerwig was able to accurately portray the setting and character development in “Lady Bird.” A rebellious and sentimental senior in the year of 2002, Lady Bird struggles with relatable conflicts of current-day teens like self-identity and self-assurance. Persistent with experimentation with different friends, boyfriends, and hobbies, Lady Bird tries to figure out who she is. Ultimately, Lady Bird is trying to escape Sacramento and her Catholic school to attend university on the East Coast. She dreams of New York, the cultural hub and hopefully the city that harbors the liberation of her “true identity.” The film “Lady Bird” showcases the perspective of a teenager, but also the relationship between mother and daughter. Gerwig paid specific attention to recreating the time period and emphasizing the theme of love subtly yet impactfully.

2002 was realistically portrayed with the music choice and fashion in the film. Key events in that time period, such as the Iraq War, were shown in background media. The soundtrack includes early 2000’s music such as Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash into Me,” a song extremely reminiscent of the teens of the early 00s.

A sense of humor was consistent throughout the film, balancing the otherwise saddening and serious moments of the plot. Although many characters are tropes, like the disrespectful boyfriend and the rich, popular girl, what makes them unique is the authenticity the actors bring to their characters. The interactions between them are extremely pure; the characters fit together harmoniously yet differ in so many ways.

If the film was able to showcase the physicality of Sacramento more, Lady Bird’s love message to her hometown would be more compelling. Also, the lack of transition between scenes made it seem like there was a loss of connection between different parts of town. This could be a stylistic effect to portray opposing sides of the town, but it leaves the audience confused with the constant switch between multiple backgrounds. The best scene that reveals the beauty of Sacramento is the last scene when Lady Bird tells her parents how emotional she felt when she drove around the city for the first time. The scene is blurred to resemble the instability and freshness of it in Lady Bird’s mind.

The blue-colored house, inspired by Sacramento’s rivers, is symbolic of Lady Bird’s need of superficiality. Saoirse Ronan portrays a tremendous Lady Bird with her bright red-colored short hair and unique sense of style. Her sassy tone and conflicting personalities convey the complexities of being a teenager. Ronan’s acting compliments Laurie Metcalf, who portrays Lady Bird’s mother, nicely.

Overall an excellent film 9.5/10, a film that unleashes raw emotions and is relatable to many people.