I can’t quite recall when I read Little Women for the first time but I do know that I did. Like every other little girl out there I vividly remember being inspired by Elizabeth Bennet and Jo March at some point in my childhood. While Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott were separated by more than a few years between them and continents, their female protagonists had one thing in common. They operated well within their milieu. The boarding school that Jo opens in the end is one for boys and the precise moment Elizabeth falls for Mr Darcy is when she looks at his sprawling estate(in Pride and Prejudice). Writer- director Greta Gerwig’s little women though; they’re far more sharp, wise and have infinite warmth to offer. Greta’s adaptation of the classic starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Meryl Streep and Timothée Chalamet imitates original characters from the 19th century but their pulse is smoothly centred in contemporary times. While one can argue that the alterations by Greta take away from the original characters but at a time when even the Academy Awards still take on a myopic lens for ‘inclusion’ in the industry, it only makes perfect sense to me for these characters to be who they were in a movie released in 2020.
The new narrative of the March sisters takes on Jo who is also loosely based on Louisa herself as the focal point of identification. It is through her we see the sisters and their idiosyncrasies as the plot constantly moves in and out of the past. While it is not a regular linear plot, it does get slightly confusing to discern between the past and present with the only indicator being the colour palette of the premise. The past is mostly all sunshine and daisies with a healthy dollop of happiness as opposed to their gloomy present with all it’s hardships and the passing away of the youngest March sister. What the cool tones of their present day scenario can’t take away is their fighting spirit. Even as Jo burns all her manuscripts she finds it in herself to write a new story to fight her anguish and solitude. Furthermore Jo standing up for her rights and demanding to own her novel and negotiating for her loyalty percentage of 6.6% is not only autobiographical since it is what Louisa got but is also symbolic of any woman’s ambitions being challenged by male authority. The married Meg eventually finds her way and becomes a drama teacher by the end.
It’s Amy though who is the most impressive and stayed with me. Florence Pugh’s solid performance saves her from being the vain, frilly girl I remember her being in the novel. Her monologue about marriage being a purely economic transaction for women adds in a layer of self-awareness and complexity unexpected from the character rooted in the 19th century and also adds relatability for the present day woman as she fights her own battles in a patriarchal system. I remember I always wanted to be Jo while I was growing up, fierce and tenacious. Now I do hope I find it in me to eventually inherit vulnerability and strength like Amy’s.
An impressive Timothée Chalamet as Theodore is an absolute delight to watch on screen and to add some comic relief with his little gimmicks. Greta’s Little Women has only grandiose things to offer and nothing little, be it the solidarity between the sisters or their personal pursuit for happiness and it warms you up entirely in it’s two hours and some minutes. I came out of the theatre with an intense need to pick up the text again and thinking to myself that any of us could be Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth.
Text Unnati Saini