#111: Little Women

Release Date: December 27th, 2019

Format: Blu-ray

Written by: Greta Gerwig

Directed by: Greta Gerwig

4 Stars

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, based on the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, is a stunningly rich and rewarding movie. 

As a writer, I think Gerwig is immensely talented. Her writing is evocative, poignant, and passionately humanistic, and by that I mean that she believes in the immense importance of individual human lives. 

Now, I must admit that I’ve never read Alcott, but I have read plenty of late 19th century American literature, and one of the defining characteristics of the naturalism and early realism of that era is defined by character development. It wasn’t uncommon for authors to pause their story to describe the physical, emotional, and mental state of a character over the course of thousands and thousands of words before continuing their narrative. There was a noted emphasis on character and the human condition over plot, and Gerwig does a masterful job of capturing this quality in her screenplay. 

One of the ways that she’s able to accomplish this is by employing a non-linear narrative, which has a wonderful accumulative effect. By presenting the story in essentially dozens of vignettes, Gerwig weaves a tapestry of loss, sacrifice, sisterhood, regret, art, and love. To say that the little women in Little Women are fully developed, dynamic characters would be an understatement. Gerwig’s protagonists are the movie.

That’s not to say that this is some ponderous character study. As talented as Gerwig is as a writer, I also believe she’s uniquely talented as a director. Little Women bursts with life. Her performers all give lovely performances. I’m not sure which scene stands out the most. 

Maybe the scene where Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) is walking along a path, mourning the death of her sister, Beth (Eliza Scanlon), when she comes upon their wealthy, curmudgeonly neighbor Mr. Laurence (Chris Cooper) standing outside of her home. We learn early in the movie that Mr. Laurence lost a daughter in childhood, and came to view Beth as a surrogate daughter, having her over routinely to play his deceased daughter’s piano and fill his home with music. Jo inquires why Mr. Laurence is standing outside of her home, and he tells her that he couldn’t bear to go inside knowing that Beth wouldn’t be there. He begins crying, and Jo takes his arm and leads him to the house. 

There are ten other scenes I could tearfully describe, but this one seemed especially poignant. 

In addition to her work with her actors, Gerwig has a wonderful eye. The natural lighting, set design, and costume design are stunning. And her collaboration with French cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, shooting on 35mm film, gifts us some beautiful photography. Never ostentatious (which I can find distracting in some period dramas) Little Women’s visual language contributes to the story, never detracts or calls attention to itself.  

It’s a beautiful movie that's easy to fall in love with, and I think that at just 41-years-old, Greta Gerwig is as exciting a writer/director as there is.