elliebean’s review published on Letterboxd:
sadness always seemed synonymous with growing up to me. i felt suffocated by it throughout high school. i always imagined moving away to university and starting anew, but i’m fearful i haven’t done that, and i’m still the frightened sixteen year old girl who dreamt of being outgoing, fearless and happy.
for the longest time, i’ve felt stuck in a moment. too young to do things but not old enough to do others. permanently left in a space in time where i can’t quite reach what i want. moving away to university has helped. it truly has. i feel i have a sense of control, at least, some of the time.
though, moving away to university and coming back home every so often only to argue with my parents aches. and watching lady bird reminds me of my mum in so many ways. i’m thankful for her though, even if i forget that she is struggling through things too.
greta knows that nobody has any authority over their own lives. you can believe you do, but nobody has full control over everything. and acknowledging that no one, especially your parents, has any idea what they’re doing, has been one of the hardest parts of growing up. at least for me.
lady bird captures every feeling i can attach to coming of age; confusion, loss, anxiety, love & happiness, greta neatly condenses it all into one succinct film. i don’t need to tell you how compelling every performance is, it just all comes together perfectly. lady bird is such a rare film in that it relates to so many of us just trying to get a grip on our lives.
“what if this is the best version?”
