Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (2019)

Written by Emily Chian

Photo by Sony Pictures

Little Women. You might have had a teacher or family member mention the title to you as a child, and maybe you’ve experienced the story yourself. Whether you’ve read it or watched its various film adaptations, Little Women has probably stolen your heart. It is originally an American children’s novel by Louisa May Alcott published in 1868. It is a coming-of-age story about four close-knit sisters – Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth, following their transition from childhood to young adulthood. While their father is away fighting in the American Civil War, the girls live with their loving mother, Marmee, in a small town in New England. Meanwhile, Laurie, a half-Italian boy who lives across from them, befriends the girls and eventually becomes a love interest as the five grow up together. 


Greta Gerwig directed the most recent film adaptation of the classic tale about the warm, funny, and lovable sisters. The film features familiar faces and up-and-coming stars: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Timothée Chalamet.


Greta Gerwig – who directed Lady Bird (2017) – stayed faithful to the story’s events while modernizing it with cinematography and performing. For example, instead of telling the story chronologically, the film switches between flashbacks and the present day. Girlhood and present-day move forward up until the day death comes to take a character away. In a video, the director says that the best way to show a text through film is to “find a way that is modern [and] find a way that is universal.” Jo and Amy make notable speeches, and Greta shows this by dramatizing their use of tone and stress on words to portray a young woman's emotions that is relevant to our time.

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The costumes and sets are another reason why you would want to watch this film. Last year, it won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. The girls’ costuming is aesthetically portrayed through the use of colours and matching clothes. Collars, capes, and hoop skirts fit the girls so well in this world. Furthermore, beautiful wintertime scenes delightfully depict Christmas time in  Civil War-era Massachusetts, where the story takes place.  Middle and upper-class American society are charmingly portrayed with artwork and piano playing, and décor and dresses. Jo and Laurie’s dancing scene is one of my favourites. I love how mischievous and playful the scene is with its staging, lighting, and choreography.  


My most favourite thing, however, are the characters because they are the life and blood of the film. The energy of the March sisters and their natural conversations make the film stand out. Emma Watson plays Meg, and along with Saoirse Ronan, does an excellent job of portraying the personality differences between the two eldest sisters. Amy March, played by Florence Pugh, is the youngest sibling and is loveable and amusing. Beth, played by Eliza Scanlen, is quiet and frail but is the biggest supporter of Jo’s stories.


Saoirse Ronan plays Jo March - a free-spirited, tomboyish, and ambitious young woman who aspires to be a writer. A very unconventional woman for the 1860s, Jo expresses frustrations about expectations and marriage. Throughout the film, Jo strives to validate her worth as a female writer by working and negotiating in the publishing industry that is predominantly run by males.


 Jo’s emotions, such as picking up a book or seeing people reading her stories, portray genuine wonder and excitement as she becomes Alcott’s persona that mirrors the author’s own journey to becoming a writer. Greta Gerwig uses Jo to voice views about women that were not common back then. Women have talent and ambition, and they can have goals in life that don’t solely include marriage, and that serves true for viewers today. Greta Gerwig cleverly leaves Jo’s ending open for interpretation.


There is little melodrama in this film - except for a certain love triangle. Rather, the screenplay depicts the ordinary life events that happen in a pre-Victorian girl’s life. It is about the warmth and innocence of childhood and the bittersweet transition to adulthood. Watching the youthful March sisters can help keep your loneliness, stress, or anxiety of the day away. The easygoing conversations between the characters will make you think of simpler days.

Greta Gerwig’s version of Little Women is a fresh adaptation for the modern viewer. The characters are memorable and charming enough to shine on camera and keep the viewer interested in their stories. It is a comforting and cheerful watch for those who want to spend a night with a friend or loved ones. There is something sweet about watching family bonding, friendship and forgiveness, and people following their dreams. You can purchase Little Women on YouTube or Google Play. 

Claire Keenan