Lady Bird

'lady bird' is the film equivalent of a warm blanket and mug of hot chocolate on a cold winters day - the love that this film radiates is indescribable to me. i feel nostalgic about things that never happened in places i've never been to, in a time which i barely even existed in. some of the best cinematography in this entire film is displayed whilst the characters are driving; the tone of these shots, whether it be the perfect image of suburbia with houses lined up in rows - the american dream, or the sunlight seeping out through the trees in the foreground of a pale blue sky, tinged with a sense of bittersweet melancholy, it feels like home to me. every house, every store, every lamp post, it all feels like i've been there thousands of times. it's kind and it's welcoming, and it's somehow familiar, like a warm embrace from an old friend. that's the magic of film. christine 'lady bird' mcpherson is an impeccably flawed individual. saoirse ronan's performance perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being a teenage girl on the cusp of adulthood; an experience which is confusing, exciting and ever-changing. it's always refreshing to see more films being produced which are about women, by women. films about teenage girls are so difficult to get right, mostly because they're never directed by anyone who has any experience on the matter. greta gerwig's vision was executed perfectly; no other director could evoke the same feelings from me that she has. this is the part where i ramble on about how 'lady bird' has affected me, because, to quote julie, "you can't do anything unless you get attention" his film is perfect for girls like me - girls who are determined and ambitious, but find themselves to be lost at the same time. a strong sense of identity is something i believe to be so crucially important - the way we define ourselves, not the way others define us. i see so much of myself in lady bird. the way things work out for her make me realise that things might just even work out for me, too. i've changed so much since my initial viewing of this film - i've lost loved ones who i held closest to me, but i've also befriended so many new and exciting people. the life of a teenager is ever-changing, and quite frankly it can be terrifying to think of the future at times, but i see lady bird herself as a symbol of my own self growth. thank you for this film greta, it's precious, and it means the world to me.