Little Women

Little Women

Directed by Greta Gerwig, the 2019 romance/drama film, Little Women, follows the story of four sisters, Jo, Amy, Meg, and Beth, as they navigate womanhood in the 1860s. The film goes between their childhood and adult years, showing the challenges they face following their dreams, and in some cases, finding love. The main character Jo, wants to become a writer but is struggling to do so because she is a woman. Amy wants to become a painter and Meg wants to be a wife and a mother. After grieving their sister Beth’s death, they all eventually follow their dreams and find satisfaction in their life. 

Greta Gerwig brilliantly represents the hardships and the beauty of womanhood by relating current issues to the ones in the 1860s. Jo March’s famous monologue in the film is such an inspiring and beautiful moment as she gracefully explains how exhausting it is to want both love and a career as a woman. She explains that women are more than just love and beauty,  they have minds and ambitions and it is okay to want both of those things. Similar to America Ferrera’s speech in Barbie, Greta Gerwig uses these moments of anger and exhaustion to comfort the female audiences who are also struggling with the strains of womanhood. 

Overall, Little Women, is a beautiful film that inspires women to follow their dreams, no matter what they are and what other people will think. The setting and the music are comforting and nostalgic and they take you out of reality and make you feel like you are living in the 1860s. Greta Gerwig brilliantly tackled difficult topics by reminding women that the women who came before them struggled with the same things.