Little Women: The new adaptation of the classic novel is both sentimental and feministic with a modern twist.
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has been adopted many times. The latest adaptation is by writer-director Greta Gerwig. The movie is elevated by a talented ensemble cast.
Her decisions through out the movie, be it the narrative of the story or giving certain characters more spotlight, has only enhanced the story. The editing, art direction, and the music score of the movie make for a stunning interpretation.
The movie is told in flashback. It opens with Jo played by Saoirse Ronan, working as a governess in New York city. Along with her work, she is trying to sell her stories anonymously to a magazine.
Jo's youngest sister Amy, played by Florence Pugh, is similarly introduced as a young woman, serving companion to their rich Aunt March played by Meryl Streep, while studying painting in Paris. Other sisters Meg (Emma Watson) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen) are also introduced as young adult ladies.
When Jo’s friend Friedrich (Louis Garrel) advises her to write about her own experiences rather than fiction, she thinks back to her childhood in Massachusetts where she lived with her Marmee (Laura Dern) and sisters Meg, Amy and Beth. Their father (Bob Odenkirk) is away at war.
The other important character outside their family is their next-door neighbor Laurie (Timothee Chalamet) who falls for Jo. The story follows these four girls lives and how they came to be where they are today. We all have seen the story of March women but what sets this adaptation apart is the way that Gerwig tells it. Most adaptations have focused more on Jo, but this one tends to underdevelop other characters. But this time, we get to know Amy, Meg and Beth a little more.
However, with all the changes in the narrative, the film does not loose its essence and remains faithful to its source material. Greta Gerwig has surely taken Little Women up a notch.
Her decisions through out the movie, be it the narrative of the story or giving certain characters more spotlight, has only enhanced the story. The editing, art direction, and the music score of the movie make for a stunning interpretation.
The movie is told in flashback. It opens with Jo played by Saoirse Ronan, working as a governess in New York city. Along with her work, she is trying to sell her stories anonymously to a magazine.
Jo's youngest sister Amy, played by Florence Pugh, is similarly introduced as a young woman, serving companion to their rich Aunt March played by Meryl Streep, while studying painting in Paris. Other sisters Meg (Emma Watson) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen) are also introduced as young adult ladies.
When Jo’s friend Friedrich (Louis Garrel) advises her to write about her own experiences rather than fiction, she thinks back to her childhood in Massachusetts where she lived with her Marmee (Laura Dern) and sisters Meg, Amy and Beth. Their father (Bob Odenkirk) is away at war.
The other important character outside their family is their next-door neighbor Laurie (Timothee Chalamet) who falls for Jo. The story follows these four girls lives and how they came to be where they are today. We all have seen the story of March women but what sets this adaptation apart is the way that Gerwig tells it. Most adaptations have focused more on Jo, but this one tends to underdevelop other characters. But this time, we get to know Amy, Meg and Beth a little more.
However, with all the changes in the narrative, the film does not loose its essence and remains faithful to its source material. Greta Gerwig has surely taken Little Women up a notch.
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