REVIEW: “Little Women” brings tears and laughter this winter

By Hannah Cho,

BlueDevilHUB.com Editor-in-chief–

With strands of messy blond hair flying from her face and her shirt hastily tucked into the back of her pants, Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) defies all 19th-century norms expected of a woman as she struts past the wooden desks and sits across from a newspaper editor that will hopefully publish her story. 

Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel “Little Women” unwraps the story of a family of four girls told primarily through Jo, who is intelligent, ambitious and not in the least like a proper lady of her time.

The story begins with an introduction to the four March sisters. Meg (Emma Watson), the oldest, wants a family more than anything, Amy (Florence Pugh) dreams to become the best artist in the world, Beth (Eliza Scanlen) is shy and musically gifted and Jo pursues her goal of becoming a writer.

With their father in the war, it is up to the four sisters to support and care for each other. Sprinkled with humor yet nevertheless touching, this film depicts the domestic struggle of women who want to escape their state of poverty while also pursuing their individual dreams.

In the context of the story, which is set in the 1860s, it is quite impossible for women to hold any form of authority or wealth and possess any passion of their own; they are rather given a choice to find a rich husband or attempt at chasing a career.

It is interesting to see the four sisters choose to pursue various careers and still find themselves reunited in the end. Through twists and turns of tragedy, comedy and drama, “Little Women” does not fail to entertain its audience. 

The timeline of the story jumps around and the introduction of so many characters at once may make it slightly difficult to grasp the plot at first. The deja vus and connections between the past and present make it easy to understand why Gerwig chose to structure the film this way.

Gerwig is known for her artistic approach to creating her films. From the release of “Lady Bird” a few years ago, which was an incredible success, many movie fans walked in to watch “Little Women” with high expectations. Gerwig does not disappoint her viewers.

Filled with poignancy and splashed with a tinge of tear-jerking surprise, “Little Women” is not a movie to miss this holiday season.