Little Women review: Adapting Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel for her sophomore feature, Greta Gerwig retells the story of Jo March, and her sisters, for her postmodern take on Little Women.
Little Women review – Image: Sony Pictures
Little Women review
With Lady Bird, Gerwig made an assured debut that showcased her talent behind the lens; if there were somehow any doubts about her filmmaking capability leftover, Little Women reaffirms her as a storyteller to be reckoned with. Not only is adapting any novel for the big-screen a difficult task to get right, it’s made even harder given the reputation of this particular literary classic and the fact that it has already been given the Hollywood treatment a couple of times; despite this, Gerwig’s take feels so successful because it clearly comes from a place of deep adoration for the source material. She knows this story and its ideas well, enough to take creative liberties that work well in adding a fresh, even contemporary, spin on the shopworn, traditional story by bringing its timely themes into the spotlight.
Our eyes into this story are that of Jo March (Saoirse Ronan), a struggling writer in 19th-century New York City; her ambitions to write a novel are mostly overcome with selling short stories for a quick buck to support her family. Her sisters Amy (Florence Pugh), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Meg (Emma Watson), are off doing their own things – the former is in Paris, pursuing her dream to be a great artist, whilst Meg is busy with her own family and Beth longs for their days of reckless irresponsible youth to come back. Jumping between this timeline and 7 years prior, we come to know the March sisters – their sisterhood, their quarrels, their affection for next-door neighbour Laurie (Timothee Chalamet) – as our own, journeying through their womanhood with them.
Little Women draws us into its world within its opening seconds, thanks to the warmth of Gerwig’s writing and the technical craftsmanship on show. Gorgeously lensed by Yorick Le Saux, with immaculate production and costume design work from Jess Gonchor and Jacqueline Durran, the decadence of the period is tangible and visually sumptuous; yet, it all feels well-wrought and lived in too. There is an authenticity and sincerity to Little Women that feels almost old-fashioned, like filmmaking of a bygone era. But the thematic presence is as contemporary as ever; Gerwig so brilliantly brings ideas of feminism, love, family and one’s purpose in life into observation here to really give this traditional piece its postmodern edge.
She does so through the brilliant characters populating the narrative; at the heart of the story is the March sisters and their relationship is so vivacious and alive. There’s a chaotic energy to the scenes when all four are on-screen together, all talking over one another and laughing and playing, that will bring to mind your own familial dynamics with siblings or cousins. Their love for one another is so tactile and authentic. Each of the March’s, in their own way, is fighting for their own independence: Jo rejects the notion of love, set on making her own life on her accord through her writing; Amy is the impulsive artist, always at odds with her older sister, that wants her work to be seen; once aspiring actress Meg is now trying to make ends meet for her children; then there’s Beth, fighting to overcome her illness. That’s not to even mention the obstacles they have to overcome together. We really get to know each and every character and their desires on an intimate level, caring for them as we would our own sisters; it’s a testament to Gerwig’s terrific writing, which is full of empathy for its protagonists and their struggles but is also able to find their individuality too – like cog-work in a clock, the film wouldn’t work if a single one was even slightly out of place.
The same can be said for the ensemble bringing the dialogue to life. Ronan and Chalamet, joining forces with Gerwig for a second time now, work together with such ease at this stage – the former playing Jo’s resilience well but letting us peer into her fragility just enough; the latter fitting perfectly into this world as the doe-eyed, handsome boy next door. Watson, Scanlen, Laura Dern, as Marmee March, and Meryl Streep, as eccentric Aunt March, all give magnetic performances too but it’s Florence Pugh that steals the show. She’s so good, in fact, that – at 23 years old – she pulls off 13-year-old Amy with such conviction, nailing the vocal tone and body language you’d expect from someone of that age. We see her transition from hot-headed teen to melancholic adolescent so seamlessly. Whilst everyone in this cast gives a performance that could be worthy of awards recognition, it’s Pugh’s work that feels like the landmark achievement here. These performances, the delightful script, and assured direction all make Little Women a wholesome, heartfelt gem that honours Alcott’s novel but also stands as just a brilliant film sure to inspire this generation’s little women lovers. This is that rare piece of cinema so full of warmth and passion that demands to be felt; Little Women feels like the perfect anecdote to all the ongoing hate and anger in the world right now, an indelible new take on a story we’ve come to know that just continues to show that Greta Gerwig is a tour-de-force.
Little Women is released in cinemas on 26th December.
