Minimalist poster by Sindhuja S. Sarasram. Original work
I watched this movie in the initial days of the lockdown here in India and was completely in awe of the Screenplay adaptation and Direction (mostly the former) by Greta Gerwig of Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women'. And this is a story that has been countless times on stage and for the Silver screen, I've watched the 1994 film with Winona Ryder, but this version is one that strikes a chord with me. The original story is about the March women, each dealing with different predicaments and ambitions- if those are the right terms to describe aspects of women's lives in the 1800's because this was a time when women were tied to the household and recognition of women in the fields of literature and others was only beginning, much like the events in the book. But Greta has got another parallel for you- this is originally hers and . She layers the scenarios in the book with- an almost poetic and metaphysical level- the hoops Jo March (representing the author) jumps through to get to see her work being published. And this is where it shows you the present day female's struggle- the negligence of the female artist and equal pay. I think that was a brilliant insert by Greta- weaving in this creation of hers seamlessly with the original storyline, playing with the chronology and sequencing. And as if telling us between the lines that women's struggle for recognition is still ageing with no foreseeable end in sight. And the actors who all bring this classic tale alive need to be given their share of spotlight- Saorise Ronan enthralls in her role as the tomboy, spitfire Jo March, Timothee Chalamet exudes the boyish charms of Laurie, Emma Watson as the sweet Meg, Laura Dern as the silent and strong Marmee, and Meryl Streep as the irritable old Aunt March and most impressive of all is Florence Pugh's Amy- you see two sides of her, the younger temperamental girl to the more mature woman she becomes. To conclude, this is a movie that is inspiring and will resonate even with a tale that is nearly Two centuries old. Only I hope this doesn't have to be the case in the coming decades and that we will see some change on gender bias.
The movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, here in India.