Review: Little Women (2019)

Little Women (2019)

Going in to see Little Women was an open slate for me. I have not read the classic novel and so I did not have the preconceived feelings and pretensions that many hold for this beloved story prior to seeing this new adaptation. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this film. Despite the novel being written more than one hundred and fifty years ago its story of family, hardships and triumphs and loves lost and gained is one that is still as relatable today as ever. And much of that is thanks to the story's inspired retelling by its formidably talented writer/director, Greta Gerwig.

Over the past decade Gerwig has proven herself to be a vanguard of Hollywood's new triple-threat elite. Adapting a story as old as Little Women is no easy task. In order to successfully reimagine the story for today's ilk, one must tackle an older style of plot structure, language and human dynamics as found in the novel in order for us to fully connect with it today. And here, unquestionably, Gerwig has done this in marvellous fashion.

Though Gerwig's film about the four March sisters, Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth (respectively, Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen) is very much a period piece, its themes and story of family life is as relatable today as any other. Each sister is very much her own character - with individual goals and passions, quirks and qualms, strengths and fallibilities - and, through the hardships of the American Civil War, in order for them to survive as a family they must rely on each other, their mother (Laura Dern) and family and friends (Timothee Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper). And as the four are teenagers verging on adulthood, there is the common thread of partnership - finding loves new and old - as they reach the then-assumed age of marriage that each must contend with in her own way. 

Changing from the plot's original structure, Gerwig ingeniously jumps back and forth between two time periods: when the family was still intact under one roof, and later when many of the daughters went off in different directions for their individual pursuits and the difficult realities of adulthood and life in general begin to settle into their lives. This divide is poignant, creating an indelible divide between the innocence, joy and naivety of childhood with the inevitable responsibilities and often hard truths of life that come with adulthood. And yet, for much of the film levity persists and there is an unavoidable charm to Little Women that will draw in even the most fickle viewer. The film is additionally beautifully shot with many remarkable compositions that look like antique paintings come to life. 

Little Women is a remarkably successful adaptation to the classic novel and one that will likely become a classic film in its own right. It bears a magnetic energy and charm that is quickly becoming synonymous to Gerwig's films and yet the film also has weight to it and poignancy that all of us, as members of one family or another, can relate to and take much away from. In all respects, it is one of the best films of the year.