Review: Little Women (2019)
- Film Pedia
- Jun 14, 2020
- 3 min read
Little Women, a film adaptation of the book by Louisa May Alcott, directed by none other than Greta Gerwig; is a heartwarming film taking place in the years following the civil war. Jo March, our Heroine, is an aspiring writer who is adamantly opposed to the idea of love and marriage, and is rarely taken seriously by publishers and critics. her sisters are Amy, Meg, and Beth March; Amy is living in Paris with their aunt, studying painting and courting a wealthy man named Fred, Meg is married with kids to struggling schoolteacher John Brooke. Beth, the shy, youngest sister is withering away with Scarlet Fever, which inevitably reunites the sisters, as well as Theodore 'Laurie' Lawrence, the neighboring close family friend.
"don't let the sun go down on your anger" - Marmee
to start off, as i'm sure many people can agree to, i already knew i would love this movie when i saw the cast, and who was directing it. after seeing it, though, i am blown away. its period-accurate, consistently entertaining, and costume design is spot on. in the beginning, the character introduction goes in depth to the perfect extent, giving you a taste of what every character is like, without losing momentum. it feels like an artistic capturing of memories, instead of a product of Hollywood. to elaborate on that, the characters are not one thing or the other, but an intricate and real combination of many of our human traits. Laurie is fun-loving, but can be portrayed as a lost cause at times, Amy is kind, and precious, but can be bratty and stubborn, Jo is talented and can light up a room, but cant take criticism well. these combinations are what make the characters so relatable and easy to fall in love with. when watching this movie, you can feel both the immense power that grief and loss hold over us, and the warm, tender moments of love.
"i don't like fuss, and feathers." - Laurie
CHARACTER ANALYSIS (SPOILERS): Amy and Laurie
in defense of Amy and Laurie; why Jo was right all along. starting at the beginning, Amy is infatuated with Laurie. she looks up to Jo, and is only 13 when she meets Laurie, so its no wonder it began as a one-sided crush, and Laurie spent most of his time with Jo. But when Laurie and Amy reunite in Europe, she is 20, and Laurie is 22/23, and has had time to grow from Jo's rejection. at this time, its clear that Amy fits into Laurie's life perfectly, with her love of all things elegant, and her grounding qualities, tying Laurie's free spirit down to earth; she challenges him to be the best version of himself. when Jo 'changes her mind' about Laurie, it is only out of fear of being alone, because this happens just after Beth's death. Jo needed someone who understands her playfulness, and Laurie wasn't that person. Frederick challenges her to be the best version of herself. this is not to discount the importance of Jo and Laurie, but to highlight why they are better as friends. this plot line is my favorite in the movie because it reiterates that this isn't a romance movie, its a journey into adulthood.
"i'm not a poet. i'm just a woman." - Amy
artistic notes: this movie gives you the long term effects, and then shows you the immediate cause. for example, i love that they introduced the characters in the future, so that the story shows how they got to that point. it is one of my favorite storytelling methods. however, sometimes the time period switch is not clear, or too rapid fire; that's not to say i don't enjoy the parallelisms. i would like to say, i commend Yorick Le Saux, the cinematographer for this movie, for all of the amazing camerawork.
"do you miss him?' 'i miss everything." - Jo
Comments