Lady Bird

SPOILER ALERT

Writer/Director Greta Gerwig

This is an impressive directorial debut for Ms. Gerwig, who has proven acting and writing chops. Gerwig finds the perfect balance of tone, wit, comedy and drama, and creates characters and situations which ring so true. Not since Juno have I been as impressed with how well teen and parent relationships have been captured.

A pair of acting performances by Saoirse Ronan as the intense title character, a senior in high school, and Laurie Metcalf as her equally strong willed mother, are sure to receive nominations during award season. Add Tracy Letts as the father navigating life between them, and that alone would make me love the film.

Last shot ends on Christine’s exhale. Gerwig said she did that because the exhale is the end of the story – the following inhale would be the beginning of a next story. Whatever comes next for Gerwig, I’m eager to see. Must See.

Podcast

The debut episode of my CineSoul podcast is on Lady Bird. I speak with Sara Matson about family dynamics, mother/daughter issues and more.

CineSoul is hosted by The Overthink Podcast Network which hosts a variety of podcasts diving deep into art, media and culture.