By Siti Nurzahra Rusdi
‘Just because my dreams are different than yours, it doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.’ – Meg March (‘Little Women’)
Greta Gerwig, an actress turned director, has created another masterpiece when she decided to make the seventh adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel ‘Little Women’ into a movie in 2019.
This is Greta’s second film after her solo directing debut in ‘Lady Bird’.
“I would say, this is my favourite adaptation of ‘Little Women’ compared to the previous adaptations. There is so much pleasure that was put into this movie. There are many scenes that I can relate to.”
The title ‘Little Women’ refers to the March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Each sister has her very own personality that will make you reflect upon yourself. Some may find a little piece about them exists within these characters.
Meg, the oldest of all is married to a poor man and with kids she is struggling to make ends meet despite being the prettiest. Jo, on the other hand is very ambitious, adventurous and rebellious. She resents elegant society and hates the idea that the only thing that women fit in is love and marriage.
Beth is meant to be the best among them – most polite yet so shy. Amy is playful, witty and yet she is the most realistic one; she always knows what she wants. Among them, Amy is my favourite character.
Greta has done a great job in presenting the lives of the sisters in their present and past, taking us on a journey that shows their childhood and growth. The scenes are very well connected as she transports us into two different periods – the present and the past.
I bet no one would get confused in differentiating the timeline. Besides the directing, the screenplay written by Greta alongside Sarah Polley, plays a huge role in making this film go big. The lines of the dialogue are well written and sound very powerful. In short, Greta and her team have done a magnificent job in bringing the novel into life.
‘Little Women’ is starred by Saoirrse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet and Meryl Streep.
All casts play their roles fantastically. However, I personally think that Florence Pugh deserves a big applause for her portrayal as Amy March in this film.
While the other versions of ‘Little Women’ showed Amy as a spoilt and bratty kid, who steal Laurie from Jo (played by Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan), Florence managed to change audience’s view of Amy through her acting.
She made us feel that Amy is not a spoilt kid, she is as ambitious as Jo, she is a matured women, even more matured than Jo. Florence makes Amy’s relationship with Laurie look realistic and dynamic. She created the best version of Amy that one could ever ask; Amy is no longer a hateful character, she is now a dream character. Her performance in ‘Little Women’ enables Florence to receive her first nomination in the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress.
‘Little Women’ is not only about sisterhood, family and love, what the novel and Greta try to make us see is deeper than that.
‘Little Women’ is a story of women. As Jo puts it: “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as beauty, and I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I’m so sick of it”.
I hope everyone can go and watch this film at nearby cinema. Watch it with your heart, only then you will see the beauty that lies within this film. ***