the first time i watched this movie was in a theater 20 minutes away from the midwestern town i grew up in, which was the only theater within the area that showed independent films like this. it was near the end of my senior year of high school right before i was about to move to new york city for college.

like many other 18 year olds, i felt as though this movie had been made for me. i saw myself so much in lady bird (and as a high school theatre kid, the accuracy of those scenes were PAINFUL). i had loved every second of the movie, but looking back, i realize there was still something about the story and its ending that i hadn’t entirely grasped.

now, after spending almost a year in the city, the gradual feelings of homesickness having finally reached a boiling point, i decided it was time to revisit this film.

and as i sit in my dorm, listening to the sounds of street noise and crying like a little nostalgic bitch, missing my family, missing my friends, missing familiarity, everything this movie is about finally clicked.

like lady bird, all i had wanted was to get out and run towards newer and bigger things, but it wasn’t until i spent time away that i truly recognized all that my hometown, and the people within it, had given me.

and that is why i love this movie so much, it beautifully captures the experience of transitioning into adulthood through the evolution of its main character’s relationships. watching lady bird’s neglect and resentment towards her hometown, family, and friend evolve into a special, newfound appreciation and love is one of the most relatable and moving character arcs i’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. we never truly appreciate that which we love until we’ve experienced life without it.

thank you to greta for this creation that has helped me, and so many others, to grieve as we leave the experiences that shaped us behind and remember to cherish them as we move forward into the next phase of our lives!