FILM OF THE WEEK
Little Women Cert: PG. Opens December 26.
One day we’ll get our heads around why Greta Gerwig (or any of the other exceptional female directors who walked the walk this year) was not nominated for a Golden Globe by the Hollywood Foreign Press.
Leaving tokenism aside, there were female-directed cinematic treasures released this year that merited a gong and to be blind to this in 2019 is surprising to say the least.
But as you walk away from Little Women’s ambrosial beauty, with all those immaculate, kinetic scenes flicking through your mind’s eye and a stirring final close-up of Jo (Saoirse Ronan) through a window pane, it’s hard to imagine a young filmmaker as accomplished as Gerwig losing sleep over such a snub.
There could be no better time of year to be snuggling into Gerwig’s starry adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s postCivil War saga about the four March sisters. Gerwig’s screenplay steps back and forth through time, the early-years scenes coated in autumnal reds and yuletide greens by cinematographer Yorick Le Saux. There is a sense of blissful domesticity as Jo, Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Sharp Objects’ Eliza Scanlen) fall happily into the arms of each other and ‘Marmee’ (Laura Dern).
And just as you’re thinking how wonderful it would be to have four beautiful daughters twirling through your home, you’re brought back down to earth as heads are butted, jealousies simmer and mettles are tested by poverty and sickness. For these women, we are reminded, the reality was that security in an uncertain world could only be attained through marriage to an eligible suitor — something Jo, an aspiring writer, refuses to accept (despite the affections of Timothee Chalamet’s rakish heir-next-door).
Artist Amy is more open to the idea, while Meg actively wants to get married and start a family. Feminism means a choice, is Gerwig’s quiet message.
Screen chemistry is rife, even beyond the core quartet. Although only on screen for a handful of minutes, Meryl Streep nearly steals the show as weary Aunt March, especially in scenes opposite heiress-apparent Ronan. Go see for yourself.