Youth and revolt amidst a Catholic institution is not new territory, let’s be direct. But what’s more remarkable these days is taking a stale idea and making it appear fresh. Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut is a familiar story, yes, but this time the perspective is flipped and reversed into the female itinerary. ‘Lady Bird‘ is colorful, melancholic and genuine. It methodically tells the trivial and vital trials of a teenage girl’s life with such accuracy, it feels as if you’re staring into the mirror and seeing a former self.

Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is a feisty and stubborn senior that is itching to leave the suffocating confines of her home and family life in Sacramento. Constantly challenging her opinionated and uncompromising Mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse struggling to keep the family financially stable after her Father Larry (Tracy Letts)loses his job, she frequently finds herself in hot water. From misadventures to suspensions, “Lady Bird” at long last cracks her mother’s delicate foundation when it’s revealed she’s secretly applied to distant colleges on the East Coast.

Director Greta Gerwig wisely poises humor and heartache. Her young cast completely understand and illustrate the uncomfortable and afflicting moments of adolescence intensively. The film primarily focuses on the troubled and tender relationship between mother and daughter, but it also touches on the consequences of false friendships and the unfulfilling attraction to materialistic things.

Affluent with observance and composed with elements of pink fixations, a caring father figure and a girl who’s ashamed to live on the wrong side of the tracks, ‘Lady Bird’ seems both heavily influenced by ‘Pretty in Pink‘ and ready to redefine the label attached to the powder-puff color.

This witty indie comedy energizes the allure of virginity with a soft rebel yell. In one unforgettable scene, ‘Lady Bird‘ depicts how so many first encounters with sexual intimacy are disappointing, and the high expectations we often have of the moment being special are almost never realized. The picture packs complexity in its characters and storytelling, and it never comes across as rushed or undercut.

‘Lady Bird‘ is an unintimidated tale about the struggle of self-discovery and the irreplaceable serenity of home. It feels destined to become a teen comedy classic, and it just might pose one of the most important pieces of dialogue and questions every teenager asks: “What if this is the best version [of me]?”

Recommended!

Written By: Audrey Evans