LADYBIRD | FILM REVIEW | MARCH 2018
I've finally watched LadyBird after seeing the trailer months ago. Firstly, Saoirse Ronan (the main character) is one of my favourite actresses (my favourite being her performance in Brooklyn). I actually went to the cinema on my own for the first time to watch this, I was very pleased I did because I absolutely loved this film. For me the main context and meaning of the film was the meaningful mother-daughter relationship, and the coming of age journey that the main character of 'Ladybird' goes through. .
The film starts out introducing us to the main character Christine 'Ladybird', played by Saoirse Ronan. Her character represents the confusion of being eighteen, the urge and lust to grow up too quickly, but also being at that in between stage of a young adult and an adult. The film is set in Sacramento, but is contrasted with the urge to get out of California, and go to the East Coast where the urge to be surrounded by 'culture' is is repeated throughout. The film is set in 2002; economically the country is about to go in to a recession, which is apparent in the struggle of her parents trying to afford to pay for her tuition fees, but I think this would equate to a lot of families around America and the hardship of paying tuition fees. 'Ladybird' attends a Catholic Girls School, so she is highly influenced and strictly disciplined within the Catholic Faith. This coming of age film highly constitutes the struggle of mother and daughter feuds, and the aspiration and dreams of her future. As she becomes seventeen/eighteen she becomes involved with boys, and of course messes with her emotions. I think I particularly enjoy coming of age films and novels because it kind of mirrors my life in some way (obviously not entirely). For most of the film Ladybird is very independent, but in some ways selfish in her own needs and wants, for example her best friend Julie, she abandons for the 'popular girl who drives a Range Rover and gets all the boys' to try and get with a boy called Kyle played by Timothee Chalamet.
The character is very strong-minded as well, and even though she is a young girl and has a huge amount of pressure from society, school and from herself frankly, she keeps focused on what she wants at the end of the day; to go to college in New York. At the end of the film, she secretly asks her beloved unemployed Dad to fill out the financial aid forms for college, and she waits the anxious wait for the answers from colleges. She keeps under wraps from her Mum that she has applied to New York colleges, not just local ones. This results in her Mum refusing to speak or discuss anything with her, until she actually leaves and she hasn't had the chance to say goodbye. The ironically brings them closer together, and makes Christine (Ladybird) understand her mother more on an emotional level, appreciating her more for their naturally close relationship. I think that distance and her arrival in New York made her realise and put in perspective her parents relationship with her.
The film is filled with all the nostalgia of secondary school (High School for America), the crush on teachers, free days with friends etc. But also the reminder that the people close to you, even if you are the other side of the country will always be there for you, and are the most precious. It represents the isolation of your hometown, the urge to leave. But also the fact that its your home, you'll always call it home, and in some way the film is a admiration towards Sacramento, as much as she claims to hate it she has fallen in love with it. I do love films that have a deeper meaning, and the characters have a lot of substance that the audience can connect to on an emotional level. Watch it if you like a meaningful, gratifying film that makes you appreciate the things in your life, appreciate the things that your parents do for you. I love these types of films that make you think, and that's what I love most about films, that they make you think about certain things and topics you wouldn't have thought about in full detail if you hadn't watched it.
It definitely deserved the recognition for Oscar Nominations, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of all the actors (especially my fave).
Happy Watching!
Rose x
The film starts out introducing us to the main character Christine 'Ladybird', played by Saoirse Ronan. Her character represents the confusion of being eighteen, the urge and lust to grow up too quickly, but also being at that in between stage of a young adult and an adult. The film is set in Sacramento, but is contrasted with the urge to get out of California, and go to the East Coast where the urge to be surrounded by 'culture' is is repeated throughout. The film is set in 2002; economically the country is about to go in to a recession, which is apparent in the struggle of her parents trying to afford to pay for her tuition fees, but I think this would equate to a lot of families around America and the hardship of paying tuition fees. 'Ladybird' attends a Catholic Girls School, so she is highly influenced and strictly disciplined within the Catholic Faith. This coming of age film highly constitutes the struggle of mother and daughter feuds, and the aspiration and dreams of her future. As she becomes seventeen/eighteen she becomes involved with boys, and of course messes with her emotions. I think I particularly enjoy coming of age films and novels because it kind of mirrors my life in some way (obviously not entirely). For most of the film Ladybird is very independent, but in some ways selfish in her own needs and wants, for example her best friend Julie, she abandons for the 'popular girl who drives a Range Rover and gets all the boys' to try and get with a boy called Kyle played by Timothee Chalamet.
The character is very strong-minded as well, and even though she is a young girl and has a huge amount of pressure from society, school and from herself frankly, she keeps focused on what she wants at the end of the day; to go to college in New York. At the end of the film, she secretly asks her beloved unemployed Dad to fill out the financial aid forms for college, and she waits the anxious wait for the answers from colleges. She keeps under wraps from her Mum that she has applied to New York colleges, not just local ones. This results in her Mum refusing to speak or discuss anything with her, until she actually leaves and she hasn't had the chance to say goodbye. The ironically brings them closer together, and makes Christine (Ladybird) understand her mother more on an emotional level, appreciating her more for their naturally close relationship. I think that distance and her arrival in New York made her realise and put in perspective her parents relationship with her.
The film is filled with all the nostalgia of secondary school (High School for America), the crush on teachers, free days with friends etc. But also the reminder that the people close to you, even if you are the other side of the country will always be there for you, and are the most precious. It represents the isolation of your hometown, the urge to leave. But also the fact that its your home, you'll always call it home, and in some way the film is a admiration towards Sacramento, as much as she claims to hate it she has fallen in love with it. I do love films that have a deeper meaning, and the characters have a lot of substance that the audience can connect to on an emotional level. Watch it if you like a meaningful, gratifying film that makes you appreciate the things in your life, appreciate the things that your parents do for you. I love these types of films that make you think, and that's what I love most about films, that they make you think about certain things and topics you wouldn't have thought about in full detail if you hadn't watched it.
It definitely deserved the recognition for Oscar Nominations, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of all the actors (especially my fave).
Happy Watching!
Rose x
Comments
Post a Comment