If you’ve spent the last few years in a movie theater or on streaming services, you probably recognize the name A24. The impact of this entertainment company is incredibly far-reaching, telling all kinds of stories with a distinctive artistic style that bends to emphasize the inherent uniqueness of each. A24 has directed dozens of critically acclaimed films over the years, exemplified by the award-winning excellence of Moonlight, Bo Burnham is anxiously clumsy eighth gradeand the haunting one Heir apparent. But it can be argued that A24’s best film may well be Ladybirddirected by Greta Gerwig.
Earning the highest number of consecutive Fresh reviews (164) at Rotten Tomatoes when it was released in 2017, Ladybird quickly shattered the record previously held by Toy Story 2 in 1999. It was also nominated for five Academy Award nominations and three BAFTAs, and won two Golden Globes. Breathe new life into a recognizable setup, Ladybird succeeds with all types of audience because of the familiar feelings it evokes in the viewers. Wherever you come from and whichever direction your own life has taken, it is more than likely that this film will touch your heart with a very understandable aspect. The story capitalizes on its recognizable nature, whether or not you grew up in San Francisco, attended a Catholic girls’ high school, or have a complicated relationship with your mother. This is why Ladybird can be considered as the best A24 movie.
It captures complications of aging
To quote her best friend Julie, Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson’s character is one of Saoirse Ronan’s most influential performances simply because “it was the titular role!” Her serious portrayal seemed to speak for anyone who has ever been in Lady Bird’s shoes, struggling to find herself in a world where she marches to the beat of her own drum. Lady Bird is a character all her own, and her persistent individuality can strike a chord with viewers of all kinds. Her room explodes with self-expression, her school uniform is questionable, and the arm she got after opening her mother’s car door during an argument is almost as bright pink as her hair.
Of course, a creative mind like hers is bound to get a few extra snags as they go through growing pains compounded by the dependable monotony of everyday life. She has a few part-time jobs that seem to crush her free spirit. She is suspended from the Immaculate Heart after a disobedient interjection during a pro-life speaker’s presentation. She is on the waiting list of her dream university. As the story progresses, we see her dump Julie for the more popular Jenna, who comes back to bite Lady Bird after lying about where her family really lives in order to appear richer. Later, however, she and Julie reunite at the prom and hug as the evening wears on. Taking several cases that many teens come to terms with during their journey into adulthood is an important factor of Ladybirdlasting popularity.
It alleviates expectations versus imperfections
Just as Lady Bird’s hair color begins to fade from a vibrant dyed magenta to her natural dark brown shade, the imperfections of her senior year don’t seem to live up to her high hopes for them. She dreams of going to college “where there’s culture” (far away from California), but realizes her family’s finances can’t send her there without outside help. She learns that her father’s cheerful facade is masking his clinical depression and his recent job loss, pushing the McPhersons further into the financial battle.
In addition to her family’s complications, Lady Bird’s love life also collapses, as it always does when we are teenagers. Lady Bird and Danny (Lucas Hedges) come from the friend zone of the joint theater program of Immaculate Heart and Xavier. They soon fall in love when she finds him kissing a boy, and he later joins her at her coffee shop to discuss his true sexuality. There she also strikes up a conversation with Kyle from Timothée Chalamet. This leads to a situation ship with heavy chemistry that is eventually complicated by Kyle’s confession that he has already “deflowered” after Lady Bird lost her virginity to him. Even after graduating from high school and arriving in New York City to attend college, she discovers that her newfound freedom isn’t all it is, and ends up in the hospital for a short time after a night of binge drinking. Ready or not, her rose-colored glasses are ripped off as she’s forced to accept life’s realities—a feeling nearly every audience member will know all too well.
It paints a realistic picture of family relationships
Finally, Ladybird creates an atmosphere of familiarity that is recognized by anyone with complicated family ties. Lady Bird’s relationship with her mother, Marion, often takes precedence over many of the minor crises the film evokes. A article from The Cut said, “[Lady Bird is] the rare film that fully recognizes the complexities of mother-daughter love, as well as how a parent’s best intentions for her child can be obscured or clouded by poor communication or personal problems.”
A reliable undercurrent of the film, and ultimately its most valuable lesson, the bond between Lady Bird and Marion is refined over time, as all good things do. From yelling at each other in the car to sending heartfelt letters of love across the country, their relationship goes from sighing parental overstretching to a constant memory that Lady Bird cherishes and is truly grateful for. Since the last line of the film is her heartfelt “thank you” to her parents’ answering machine, audiences get a chance to reflect on their front row seat to her growth as a person, and their close bond with their own family members. . . This film shows how nuanced these tight connections can be until they are really put to the test and no distance or pain from the past can crush them.