by Samantha Chase
This beloved coming-of-age tale of four sisters and their loving mother has managed to captivate yet another generation in the newest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel.
Set in the mid-nineteenth century during the Civil War, this charming story follows the lives of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March through innocent childhood into a grief-stricken adulthood. Each sister has a distinct personality: Meg is practical and charming; Jo, a feisty, boyish writer; Beth charms everyone she meets with her quiet kindness; and though Amy begins as the annoying little sister, she blooms into a poised young woman. Their mother, Marmee, is the sweet and perfect mother on the surface; her tiredness, however, is shown in small glimpses to the audience, adding much-deeded depth to her character. Laurie, the neighborhood boy, is an integral part of almost every storyline. Each character is well developed enough so that anyone in the audience can find someone in the film to relate to, making the movie-going experience all the more enjoyable.
The happy March family in the past is placed in contrast with a more divided future. The girls’ young lives are punctured by silly plays, squabbles over being included, and days spent laughing with Laurie. Throughout the film, Jo is constantly writing, even in a world where women were only meant to marry. Meg falls in love and builds a family, becoming more and more like her mother, while Amy eventually moves to Paris with her aunt to become a member of high society through her painting. Laurie is a constant presence: first as their friend, then as Jo’s admirer, and finally as Amy’s betrothed. Throughout it all, Beth remains shy and kind to a fault. You can’t help but root for her success.
Tha all-star cast, including Laura Dern, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, and Meryl Streep, truly brings the characters to life. The costuming, done by Jacqueline Durran, costume director for Oscar-nominated films 1917 and Little Women, is period-based yet clearly individual to each character. The entire atmosphere of the film transports viewers into the lives of the March sisters, thanks to the award-nominated direction by Greta Gerwig – we feel as if we know them.
Perhaps the only drawback of the film is its confusing narrative. The story jumps from present to past with little warning, forcing audiences to pay close attention to each character’s specific storyline in order to understand what is going on. The division between the two does not become clear until late in the movie, and that turning point is a devastating one (I’m talking tears here, everyone).
Another charming part of the film is the fact that it was filmed almost entirely in New England. Locals will recognize beautiful fall landscapes from towns such as Groton, Concord, Franklin, and Boston itself. The original Alcott house in Concord, where Little Women was originally written in 1868, was also the site of many scenes in the movie.
Greta Gerwig, director and screenplay writer, masterfully brings Alcott’s novel into contemporary terms while maintaining the essence of the beloved novel. The film confronts grief, poverty, and contemporary feminist ideas, especially through those associated with Jo, whose publisher requests that she write a marriage for her main character. The ending remains ambiguous as to whether or not Jo herself marries, or if the ending here was simply what her publisher wanted for her book. In this way, Gerwig is able to bring together two completely different time periods in a way which endears viewers to the characters on-screen while causing them to look at their own ideas of what it means to be a little woman.
Little Women is in theaters now!