"Miss Bird Review: The Best American Women's Film of Recent Years 5 Oscar Nominations

Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, Miss Bird won Best Picture in the Comedy/Musical category at the recent Golden Globes and was nominated for five Oscars last night, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
This is a film that deserves all the praise and accolades it can get, a film that is moving, vividly acted, funny and heartbreaking, and arguably the best American women's film of recent years. It is like a complex love letter to the unbridled, wild and fiery emotions of young people, about how it is only when one is away that the appreciation for growing up, loved ones and home dawns on one. In Atonement, Ronan makes an indelible impression when he is just 12 years old
Set in 2002, the film features Saoirse Ronan as Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson (hence the title), a feisty 17-year-old who longs to go to college on the East Coast and escape the hometown she believes has shackled her.
"Do I look like I'm from Sacramento to you?" So she asks at the beginning of the film, and the city she refers to is exactly where the story takes place - being the capital of California, but only the sixth largest city in the state, a somewhat depressed agricultural centre and political hub in the northern part of the state's vast Central Valley.
Dissatisfaction with her surroundings, combined with a rebellious attitude as a teenager, led to frequent conflicts between Kristen and her mother. Due to financial constraints, Kristen's parents struggled to keep her in an all-girls school. In her final year of high school, Kristen nearly broke up with her best friend Julie and had unsuccessful relationships with two boys, Danielle and Kyle, respectively. During this year, she also develops a brief friendship with a well-off, good-looking girl. It is these things that prepare her to leave home and turn her from a young and wild girl into an adult Sweet Tea in Miss Bird is a bit of a dud, but really very cute
At the heart of Miss Bird's charm is the actress who plays the title role, Ronan, who at the tender age of 23 had already been nominated for three Oscars (Atonement, Brooklyn, Miss Bird). Ronan is not only one of the most popular actresses of her generation, but also one of the most versatile.
Overall, Saoirse Ronan's screen presence is best judged by her mastery of accents (if you only know her through her work, you'll be surprised when she speaks with a strong Irish home accent). By the time you've seen Peter Jackson's supernatural title The Lovely Bones, John Crowley's classic romance Brooklyn, and Joe White's action film Hanna, you'll understand why people compare Ronan to a younger version of Meryl Streep.
And in Miss Bird, Ronan delivers a star-making performance (the small-budget indie has now grossed over $39 million in US cinemas) that seems to deeply evoke the conflicted youthful hormones in people. For a young actress to portray a character like Kristen, who is otherwise selfish and juvenile, and who is redeemed in the end, in a vividly human way, is a great thing. Director Gretta, boyfriend Noah Baumbach and Saoirse on set
It was equally hard to portray such an eccentric and self-centred teenage character. This is the second time that Greta Gerwig, who turns 34 this year, has directed a feature film, and it is clearly full of her youthful attitude. What really sets Miss Bird apart is its pace and tone - it doesn't waste unnecessary time for a boring plot. As a screenwriter who wrote and directed the film, Gerwig has a lot on her mind. So the film's plot development doesn't get stagnant, it doesn't get tedious or boring, and the production has touches on issues such as depression, blended families and adoption, body confidence, and sexuality.
Miss Bird also responds in large part to school issues, such as the humiliation that comes with a lack of friends. Gerwig's talent is to translate his own judgments about these things into another language and incorporate them into the characters, weaving them into a story that reflects the full picture of people's situations. For teenagers in particular, a person's character is likely to jump from cynicism to need for care in a matter of minutes, and Greta is completely unafraid to show this off.
Previously primarily an actress, Greta has mostly starred in arty, slightly quirky indie films about how young literary women navigate life in the big city (e.g. Greenberg, Lola's Big Fight, Maggie's Plan), and she is also an excellent screenwriter, writing scripts with her boyfriend Noah Baumbach, such as Frances Ha and American Mistress.
Tracy Letts and Laurie Metcalf, who play Kristen's parents, also shine extremely well this time around, portraying a vivid pair of doting parents, both doing their best to teach their rebellious daughter in their own way. Not only the two of them, but all the characters shine in their own unique ways - Lucas Hedges, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Manchester by the Sea last year, and "Sweet Tea", who was nominated for an Oscar last night for Call Me By Your Name " Timothee Chalamet, portrayed two adolescent boys with very different personalities. Tracy Letts and Laurie Metcalf, who play the parents, also give extremely bright performances
Beanie Feldstein in her role as a smart, funny girl with a lot of friend power but a bit of restraint, along with Odeya Rush, Kathryn Newton and others, all did a great job and the group performance was very competent.
Miss Bird is a charming, one-of-a-kind portrait of teenage energy that is sure to raise a smile on your face for days, if not weeks, by the time you're done watching it.
Other reviews of Miss Byrd.
Lively, full of energy, running the gamut of childhood pain and joy. --The Hollywood Reporter
A gentle, magical, inexpensive gem that will enliven your life. --Variety
Lucas Hedges and Saoirse
Once you've looked at it - even with a smile on your face as you look at it - you'll want to thank it for how wonderful it is, how intelligent, how funny, how elegant. -- The Wall Street Journal
Laurie Metcalf's character in it is both mangy and heartbreaking, and she is by no means the only one who contributes a beautiful note, as do others. -- Brooklyn Magazine