Mar 4, 2018

OSCAR DAY: Lady Bird

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet.

Director: Greta Gerwig.

Screenplay: Greta Gerwig.

Cinematography: Sam Levy.

Editor: Nick Houy.

Score: Jon Brion.

Finally, a film that faithfully portrays the ups and downs of a girl’s coming-of-age without falling into cheesy stereotypes is nominated for Best Picture (and four more categories). This is so refreshing and definitely good news for everyone from teenagers looking for representation in film, to female filmmakers themselves.

Although not all of us grew up in Sacramento, dyed our hair pink, or went to an all-girls catholic school, the story of Lady Bird’s transition into adulthood is definitely relatable with all the contradictions we face as we go through a process of self-discovery.

Through Lady Bird's brother's plotline, Gerwig manages to subtly capture one of the biggest generational traits bestowed upon us millennials; attempting to balance graduating with a diploma, and the high probability that debt will loom over you for years to come.

In her personal life, Greta Gerwig went from being the wife and muse of filmmaker Noah Baumbach to becoming an award-winning filmmaker herself, destroying the artist couple stereotype where the man is the intellectually superior one in the relationship. This totally translates to the screen in Lady Bird with Gerwig's strong representation of women’s roles within relationships.

There is a question going around: would Lady Bird have gotten all this attention had it been created by a man, or before the #metoo era? While it is definitely true that the film benefited from the movement– right place, right time– we can't take all the credit away from Gerwig's masterpiece; Lady Bird has received 296 fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest-ranked film ever. The audiences unquestionably loved it.

So, to whomever still has the nerve to say “stories about women aren’t being told because nobody is actually interested in them, not because the industry isn’t giving women a chance”, I say "hello". •

Academy Nominations: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Ronan) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Metcalf).