Review: “Little Women” Shows that Women Can Be Strong, Gentle and Smart
Louisa May Alcott is a renowned author who wrote the book “Little Women”. It depicts a story of 4 sisters who lived their lives in the 1880s when the United States of America was just a newly established country. The story was so well-loved by people across generation and it has generated multiple adapted screenplays including the latest one from Greta Gerwig. The “Lady Bird” director assembled a strong list of the cast including Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, and many more. Having been released nationwide in Indonesia since last week, “Little Women” has become one of our most awaited movies this year since it has been nominated for various awards.
The story is centered upon Jo (Saoirse Ronan), the second daughter of the March family who desired to be a famous writer. Jo and her sisters grew up in a simple yet warm household that taught them to be generous, loving, and independent. Jo believed that to be truly successful, women didn’t need to marry wealthy men. They just had to do their best in their respective passions. On the contrary, their neighbor the Lawrence family grew up wealthy, but a little bit empty inside. The Lawrence’s only grandson, Theodore (Timothée Chalamet) – friendly referred to as Laurie found company among these sisters.
Each daughter of the March family has a very different trait of their own. Meg who was feminine and elegant, Jo who was strong-willed and clever, Amy who was childish and creative, and Beth who was timid yet musically gifted. The daily lives of the March were far from quiet as the sisters continued to bicker and joke among themselves. Side by side with the scenes, Greta Gerwig also showed the present days of the March sisters when they were all grown up. That made “Little Women” unique and presented a different take of a parallel plot. The film shows women’s ambition, an overview of life, as well as their differing charms.
Set in the 1880s, the topic of feminism and women’s independence was often overlooked, especially in literature. “Little Women” was just a small example of how a woman’s thought and perspective could direct a whole plot. Women become the center of attention and the driving force behind the whole situation happening in the scenes. Not only feminism was displayed in full force by Jo’s point of view, but it was also strongly rejected and avoided by another character that made this movie’s dynamic became far more interesting. The transition between past and present days using different color tones was delightful and smooth from start to finish. The past was presented in a warmer tone and the present days were showcased in a cold tone. The scoring also helped a lot in lighting up the mood and gave the scenes their necessary nuances throughout the film.
To sum it up, “Little Women” conveys a message that women can have many attributes while still holding on to their principles. Being warm doesn’t make women weak, being strong doesn’t make women manly, and being vulnerable doesn’t make women less desired. Go see “Little Women” in cinemas before it is taken down!
Documentation: Sony Pictures/Editor: Novita Widia