Lady Bird is a 2018 Drama/Comedy written and directed by the amazing Greta Gerwig. In the film, Christine, who goes as Lady Bird, is a teenage girl that faces a lot of ups and downs in her relationships during her senior year in high school. 

 

In many ways, Lady Bird is a feminist icon. We are soon introduced to Lady Bird’s (played by Saoirse Ronan) love interest Danny (played by Lucas Hedges) when she decides to sign up for the drama club at her school. She soon breaks up with him after she finds him making out with a boy. Though she is initially frustrated by her discovery, it is not long-lived because her romantic life does not define her value. Danny meets her at the shop she works at and she comforts him by pressing his head to her chest and tenderly raking through his hair.

 

About half-way through the film, Lady Bird meets a new love interest-- Kyle (played by Timothée Chalamet). When she learns that he is not a virgin, though he originally said he was, Lady Bird exclaims: “I was on top! Who the f*ck is on top their first time!” She is not passive or quiet as many other female characters have been in other films. She is vocal about how she feels, and even then, her virginity does not encompass her whole character (which is what other teenage films tend to do). Sex does not define her identity; it is simply a thing that happens. This completely translates to real life. In real life, sex does not define our lives or who we are, and Lady Bird is bringing this truth to the screen.

 

With that said, Lady Bird’s relationships are not centered around her relationships with men. Her story is rather focused on her relationship with her mother Marion (played Laurie Metcalf) and her best friend Julie (played by Beanie Feldstein).

 

Lady Bird and her mother start off on an interesting note. The film begins with them in the car listening to an audiobook. When it’s done, her mother begins to talk about how Lady Bird has no chance to get into the schools of her dreams because of her poor work ethic and bad grades. (In response, Lady Bird throws herself out of the moving car.) There is evidently tension between the two and the maternal love isn’t completely obvious, but in the end, we know that they both love each other dearly. Though Lady Bird’s departure is bittersweet as her mother refuses to accompany her to the gate at the airport, the film has a scene near the end where Lady Bird leaves a loving message for her mother.  

From the beginning of the film, we get the impression that Julie and Lady Bird are extremely close. However, they later begin to drift apart as Lady Bird strives to make friends with a more popular girl. The film’s apex is found when Lady Bird and Julie reconcile. Lady Bird ditches Kyle and the other “cool kids” to find Julie and go to prom with her. They slow dance under the warm lights and wander around the city afterwards. Again, this ditches the traditional man and woman coupling. A woman’s life is not centered around their romantic relationships with men, or relationships at all with men.

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