The Different Shades of Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird
Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) made everyone call her Lady Bird to establish independence. She didn’t change it to sound like an intellectual or a ravaged delinquent. For her, the name Christine enveloped her entire existence as a mere Sacramento girl. She always tries to defy people’s expectations.
Aside from being independent, here are the different shades of Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird:
Lady Bird as the offensive Sacramento girl
Lady Bird despises her town. In her perspective, people from Sacramento have their lives planned before they can even walk. That, to her, was boring. People grew accustomed to a certain standard of living and routine. She, on the other hand, wants more. Though some might view this as selfish thinking, it is actually an admirable trait.
She doesn’t let anyone plan her future besides herself. She also welcomes new opportunities. She is ashamed of Sacramento and everything that it constitutes. She thinks highly of herself and knows that she deserves more. With her pride, intellect, and thirst for greatness, Sacramento is not ready for someone like her. While that sounds great, it could also be downright offensive to others.
As the Catholic school kid
Just like Starr Carter from The Hate U Give, Lady Bird is sent to a Catholic school because of the growing number of school shootings in the state. Her mother ensures her safety in respectable nuns with conservative girls. While it was considerate and generous, it doesn’t suit her personality.
She wants to be a girl with independence, money, fame, and a flawless reputation. While it’s natural for people to want what they can’t have, Lady Bird disagrees. Instead, she turns her dreams into specific goals. Some of her goals might seem farfetched but she wouldn’t give up without a fight. This might be labeled as pure stubbornness.
Lady Bird as the lovesick puppy
Danny was Lady Bird’s, first love. Since she’s new to this playing field, she tries to be the perfect girl for him in hopes of reciprocation. Her headstrong personality seemingly vanished. As it turns out, they’re both hiding their true identities from each other. She discovers that he’s gay.
Due to this untimely news, she was hurt. In hopes of finding a new love interest, she decides to be aggressive toward love. Kyle came along. Once again, Lady Bird tries to change herself for the man she likes. She acts rich, influential, careless, and impulsive.
As the daughter with a rocky relationship with her mother
The real reason why Lady Bird and her mother don’t get along is that they’re too much alike. They have unwavering opinions. Whenever Lady Bird feels that she doesn’t have control of her life, she takes it out on other people. Her mother does the same with her.
Lady Bird loved daydreaming that she was some high-end socialite. Meanwhile, her mother acts like a painful reality check she doesn’t want to hear. Her mother has her own brand of tough love, involving rules and reminders. Because of this, Lady Bird regards her mother as an enemy. She isn’t aware that’s her mother’s love language.
Lady Bird as a stranger in New York
When Lady Bird finally gets out of Sacramento, she’s supposed to be happy but she isn’t. She hated Sacramento but she feels lost in the expanse of the East Coast. What Lady Bird failed to notice is that even though she tried so hard to get away from Sacramento, a part of her will always remains there.
She cannot process that so she tries everything that excites her but to no avail. Like her favorite sister said, she writes about Sacramento so affectionately even though she denies it. She begins to miss everything about Sacramento – the churches, her family, and her friends. By the end of the film, she realizes that her heart can be in two places at once.
In a nutshell, Lady Bird‘s imperfection is the reason why this is a coming-of-age film. Teenagers try to figure out their lives, making a ton of mistakes. Lady Bird is a revolutionary inside a body of ruthless teenage angst. At some point, the angst outweighs the revolutionary aspect. Lady Bird just needs to work out her temper and her crude vocabulary. Her words, though rude, are uplifting and inspiring once you read between the lines. She’s beautifully broken in her own way, and she’s slowly improving to be the best version she could be. Want to read more articles like this? Click here.
