Kansas Viking

Wow wow wow this movie is superb! It has easily made its way into my top 10 of the year lists! With this movie Greta Gerwig has created art that is independently great from its original source material. (I have not read the book, nor any other adaption except the stage musical. So take my opinion on the adaption as an uninformed Little Women fan) I cried at 3 points in the last hour of this film and it really didn't stop for the last 30 minutes. But with that being said, this is a really happy and glowingly positive movie. It is emotional at many points and it navigates those points beautifully, but overall the movie just glows with an overall cherriness and I love that!! Greta Gerwig directed the hell out of this movie and the fact that she wasn't nominated for best director is absurd!! She makes so many great choices as a director that elevate this movie in a huge way. From the color palette going from a light, yellowish, dream like feeling when flashbacks occur to a cool, darker, more hardline palette that extentuates dark blues during events that are happening in real time. On top of that I love how Gerwig plays with time in this movie; using seamless transitions from the present to the past to mirror events and themes in the story. The craft is truly great in this movie and the cinematographer should also be recognized for making a such a beautiful movie to look at! A product of Greta Gerwig's intimate craft of this story show themselves in intricate details throughout the movie. My favorite is Jo switching hands while writing for long periods of time. It shows her ferocity and will to continue on; you could presume she made herself learn how to write with both hands for that very reason. The performances are masterful in this film, Saoirse Ronan as Jo is transcendent with amazing supporting performances from Florence Pugh (Amy), Timothee Chalamet (Laurie), Laura Dern (Maurmie) (her best work of 2019 in my opinion), Meryl Streep (Aunt March), and Eliza Scanlen (Beth)! And while there were a couple times Emma Watson (Meg) didn't bring her "A" game to a certain scene she did bring a good performance as well. This is a movie that for myself will be an all time favorite because of its amazing creative choices, superb acting, heartwarming story, and emotional resonance.