Lady Bird-An Authentic Look at the Last Days of High school

As someone who regrets how sheltered I was in high school, keeping to myself for a good chunk of it, Lady Bird moves me on a deep, emotional level. It reminds me of a high school experience I could've lived. There are bits of the high school experience here that I relate to, such as Christine (Lady Bird)'s experiences at the high school dances and her struggles as she applies to different colleges. But there are also so many universal high school experiences that I never went through that Lady Bird depicts in such emotionally resonating ways, such as the friendships that dip in and out throughout the school year and the hijinks she gets into with those friends, joking and partying with them. 

The emotional focal point of the film, though, is Christine (Lady Bird)'s complicated relationship with her mom. Now, I've always had a pretty good relationship with my mom, so I don't quite relate to it as much as I do other areas of the film, but I can still see how authentically the film captures this near-estranged relationship. There's an equal warmness and coldness to the interactions between Christine (Lady Bird) and her mom.

The film also adds a visual authenticity to its story. Naturalistic lighting permeates each scene, and Greta Gerwig uses such simple compositions to signify Lady Bird's emotions and relationships, with close-ups signifying love and comfort and medium and wide shots signifying emotional distance and discomfort. Greta Gerwig's direction is simple but works incredibly well to add a warm, authentic look and feel to the film.

When it comes to how people view Lady Bird, I feel it works on a pretty binary system: either you relate to the film and feel deeply moved by it, or you don't relate to it, and the film leaves you cold. So your mileage may vary with the film, as you'll relate to the movie or you won't. For me, though, while there are aspects I relate to, there are others that I don't but that the film captures so authentically that they move me regardless. And it's that authenticity that stands as the film's true beauty.

Currently Streaming on Tubi for free in the U.S.