::little women::

Every book lover has been asked more times than they can count, "what's your favorite book?" I chose my answer years ago as a child so I always had it ready. It was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I read it for the first time in elementary school and have read it countless times since then. I've listened to various audiobook renditions, watched the 1994 movie, read and loved Little Men and Jo's Boys (the sequels to Little Women), and recently viewed Greta Gerwig's version of the movie. If you know me, you know I'm not a big movie person. I rarely go to the theater and whenever I do, it's usually to watch an animated film. *side note: I'm a huge Disney/Pixar fan* But I knew I HAD to see this remake of my favorite book so I went with a friend and fell in love with the story all over again. Since then I've watched far too many interviews and behind the scenes clips, looked up the cast on Wikipedia, listened to the soundtrack, and wondered when it was releasing on DVD and to streaming services. Also, I know I'm late to the train of crushing on Saoirse Ronan and Timotheé Chalamet but I'm onboard now!

The March family at the end of the movie

I'm not usually a big fangirl nor am I much of a cinephile, so what is it about this movie? Why do I keep thinking about it? Why am I replaying certain scenes in my head? Why do I want to watch again so badly? What about it makes me want to cry my heart out but also laugh with delight and joy at the same time? The actors, the story, the cinematography, the emotion? I've never been into a movie like this before. Is it just a honeymoon afterglow that will fade with time? Can I ever watch the 1994 version after seeing this one? These are the important questions in life. I'm so drawn into it and touched to the heart by it. Why? For the same reasons why Louisa Alcott's novel is a classic and remains a story we continue to read today. Why nearly every girl read it in her childhood and why the director and cast speak so highly of it and its importance in our society today. Little Women is about love, friendship, and family in some of the best ways possible.

Jo and Laurie

You can't not see the love and heart in the movie even if you haven't read the book. It's in every glance, every touch, every line of the film. Platonic love, romantic love, familial love, sisterly love, neighborly love. The precious bond of family in a time of war, the gift of sisters bearing one another up, the fun of a brother figure, the old man across the road who's like a grandfather to the "little girls". It's impossible to watch and not be heartwarmed because it's simple, vulnerable, and achingly beautiful. You want to be part of the March family. You want to be loved by Laurie. You want to be taken under Marmee's wing. You want to be petted by old Mr. Lawrence and scolded by Hannah. It fills the ache in our hearts we all have to love and be loved. We watch that longing be enacted again and again by different relationships whether it's Marmee with each of her daughters, Jo and Laurie, Jo and Meg, Jo and Beth, Meg and John, Amy and Laurie, Jo and Friedrich. You see it again and again, stamped onto these incredible actors' faces as they embody these beloved characters. I want to go back to the theater so that for a couple of hours, I can pretend I'm one of them, that I'm there with them. The movie does an amazing job of letting you feel the emotion they are feeling, the unrequited love, the familial chaos, the witty banter, the anger and annoyance, the questions and wonderings of what the future holds, they are there for you to step into as the viewer, a cinematic experience I've rarely had.

The March sisters and Marmee

I wonder if the family life tugs at my heartstrings because my family is no longer intact. The March sisters speaking to and over one another, Marmee's gentle directions, and Hannah's pragmatism all create this comfortable, homey atmosphere. A place you know you could come as yourself, and to be loved. When Meg sprains her ankle at the Moffats' and is brought home, the splendid chaos of the March family goes into full force. The viewer sees it all from Laurie's point of view, for the first time as a family, as a home, as a place of comfort and belonging. He may have a large mansion, a library full of books, and more money than he knows what to do with but what he yearns for is family. So do I. My family wasn't perfect growing up but it was good in many ways and on the whole, I can't complain about what I had and how I was raised. Yet, as with far too many things in life, you don't realize how much something means to you until it's gone. I understood that when I left home for the first time, when I moved to college, and once again, when my family was shattered into pieces. The Marches have their flaws and life isn't easy for them but they know they have each other through it all. They will always hold each other in their hearts even when changes and sorrows come as we heart-wrenchingly see and experience with Jo. My heart longs to be part of the March family just as Laurie's did.

This movie and story isn't just for women, little or big. This story is meant for everyone, men and women, boys and girls, young and old, and whatever other binaries you want to throw out there. Yes, it follows four sisters but there are men poignantly portrayed in this movie. Mr. March, Friedrich Bhaer, Laurie, Mr. Lawrence, and John Brooke all have a part to play. Mr. Dashwood does too but for all intents and purposes, he is excluded from the lineup. They are coming alongside the women, empowering them, taking care of them, and loving them. The men and women need each other as is obvious as the daughters miss their father and Marmee her husband. But then, they find a mischievous and startling joy in having Laurie and Mr. Lawrence become a part of their lives. Mr. Lawrence draws Beth in with the promise of the piano because he misses his own little daughter. Laurie has neither mother nor sisters and finds both in the Marches. John and Friedrich uplift the women they love, wanting the best for them, and knowing they do not have much other than themselves to give. Gerwig does not put one gender over the other rather puts them alongside one another in the journey of life which is beautiful to watch in a society where it feels like we're more often pitted against one another.

Some of the cast with Greta Gerwig

While romance overtakes Meg first, then Amy, and finally, Jo, Jo's story isn't really about her getting married, it's about her book. All of the people in her life, men and women, have contributed to her writing and publishing her book. They have believed in her, loved her, supported her, and wanted her to follow her dreams. It's true that many women long to be loved for who they are and if they find it, what a good and beautiful thing. But as Jo says, women have minds and souls as well as hearts that are talented and ambitious as well as pretty and domestic. A struggle women face now as much as they did then (Alcott included!). One of Gerwig's brilliant modern touches. We watch the March sisters pursue their dreams which though different "doesn't make them unimportant" (thanks, Meg!) and they are happy in the end because of the love, friendship, and family that surround and support them. Now you'll excuse me as I re-watch the movie and get my heart broken and inspired once again...