Lady Bird (2017) Film Review

So, I have just finished watching Lady Bird, and it was everything I needed from a film right now.  It was extremely nostalgic to me, harking back to the early 2000s, or as some may say, the final years of the 90s.  Even though I experienced teenage angst and first loves about ten years later (2010-2015) than Lady Bird (2002-3), it still dug into that place in my heart. 

Saoirse Ronan’s portrayal of Lady Bird was enigmatic and all-encompassing, pulling you in to feel every emotion every moment as if it were your own life.  The Catholic school experience was new to me, as my schools were all Church of England, but the feeling inadequate in a private school did strike closer to home.  My parents did not struggle to the same extent but the pressures of ‘keeping up’ was a constant feeling throughout my high school experience.

The cinematography is beautiful, and the driving scenes came across as Greta Gerwig’s own love letter to Sacramento.  Gerwig also carefully introduces every single character in the film, revealing just enough about them to further capture the feeling of us spectators being in Lady Bird’s shoes. 

If you want to watch something that will make you feel, sad and happy, to tug at your emotions with nostalgia, longing and love, then I highly recommend this film.  In fact, I recommend it anyway as I think it is a ‘coming of age’ film that everyone should watch, you will not be wasting your time I assure you.