After watching the Oscars a few weeks ago, a couple of the films nominated that night stuck in my head and were something I had to make time to sit down and watch. One of these films was Lady Bird, a coming-of-age tale and writer-directorial debut by actress Greta Gerwig.
Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, played by Saoirse Ronan, is a strong-willed and eccentric teenager entrapped by the bounds of her all-girls Catholic high school and hometown of Sacramento, California. Throughout her senior year, she struggles with her overbearing mother, a nurse who has to work extra shifts after her husband is laid off.
Between her controlling mother, strained relationships with friends, and the drama of her first love interests, Lady Bird cannot find happiness in her hometown anymore. She longs to fly away to New York and attend a prestigious liberal arts college, escaping the uncultured and superficial bounds of California.
This is a movie any college student can relate to.
The feelings of discontent Lady Bird has for her hometown during senior year are all too familiar, reminding me of myself sitting in class wishing to be anywhere else. She sees herself as too big and important to be wasting away in a town like hers, almost to a fault. Her entitled and snarky persona makes you want to scream and shake her at times, although a part of you completely understands why she is acting this way.
I can see myself in a lot of moments during this film, and I am sure many other college students will feel the same way. It accurately profiles the feelings, emotions, and conflicts experienced just before leaving home the first time for college.
The part of the film I could relate to the most was Lady Bird's determination to abandon her hometown of Sacramento and move to New York City for school. Her family doubts her, questioning her ability to get in and take care of herself in a big city so far from home.
The cost of an expensive liberal arts college also worries Lady Bird's parents, but she stays set on making her plans a reality. Watching the film brought back memories of me trying to convince my own parents that I could successfully make it into a private school in New York, trying desperately to rid them of their reasonable suspicions.
The films final scenes are a beautiful display of growth and realization for Lady Bird and her autocratic mother, but I won't spoil them for you.
Lady Bird is a modern coming-of-age movie absent of the many inaccurate and unbelievable stereotypes these films are often plagued by. Rather than profiling what is often expected of movies about teenagers in high school, the film stays close to reality, making it unique from similar movies before it. It is something I recommend any high school or current college student to watch.
