Lady Bird

2018 might possibly be one of the most exciting line-ups of Best Picture nominees in years. Not that any of this really matters (at the end of the day it is, and always has been, an industry trade show that pats itself on the back) but if we are going to award a single film Best Picture, I'm glad there's at least a diverse and interesting selection of films to pick from. In the past few weeks, I have seen some films that I do think will go down as genuine classics and perhaps the most quietly revolutionary is Greta Gerwig's (she of Frances Ha) Lady Bird, an excellent coming-of-age film shot through the tender loving eyes of experience. There has never been a teen drama quite like Lady Bird to the point where others have a bit of catching up to do.

It's 2002 and we're in Sacramento, California, described by the titular character as the "Mid-West" of the state. This is just one of the many opinions held by the outspoken 17-year old teen Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), though she prefers (well, more demands) to be called "Lady Bird". She is senior at a Catholic high school and suddenly the prospect of the "future" is on the near horizon. She has clear(ish) plans though - she wants to go to an art college on the East coast and escape the drabness of Sacramento. And the fractious relationship with her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Finances are tight and it looks like her parents can only afford local city colleges. Not if Lady Bird has anything to say about it...

Now if that plot summary sounds a bit familiar then ... yes, I guess it somewhat is. Lady Bird doesn't shy away from the fact it is a coming-of-age tale but Gerwig tells it in the most unconventional way possible. We get the usual right-of-passage moments expected from this type of film - first boyfriend, break-up, swooning after the cool kid, dumping best friend, going to the prom etc. However, Gerwig is more interested in fleshing these elements out via a feminist point-of-view that never veers into cliche. Everything is shot through the lense of nostalgia. The setting sun of the west coast and the grainy cinematography all evoke the sense of a memory, a polaroid picture in an old photo album. In fact I was convinced this was shot on film but it was, indeed, digital. Go figure. The pacing is absolutely perfect as we float across a year in the life of this character, cutting from event to event.

Lady Bird is an all-round perfect film, that is a sensitive and funny look at the teenage experience

In terms of the characterisation, Gerwig and Ronan, somehow, never make Lady Bird unlikeable. This is absolutely key to the film. She does some pretty nasty things, that I don't think the film excuses her from, but it's all wrapped up in the shell of an angry, frustrated and often quite charming 17 year old. And Lord knows we've all been there. A huge amount of cudos to Ronan. She completely envelops this character to the point where you forget your watching Saoirse Ronan. And this is something of a coming of age for her as an actor. In the past, I've somewhat underestimated her, maybe because of the films she's been in, but here she is absolute brilliant. The rawness and tenderness of being that age just oozes from the performance, pimples and all (Ronan wanted to show teenage skin for what it usually is, as opposed to the glamorous Hollywood interpretation of being teen). This is an all time great character.

The film's core though is the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother. Originally wanting to call the film Mothers and Daughters, Gerwig never shies away from this hurtful but ultimately deeply loving bond the two characters have. Metcalf is absolutely brilliant as Marion, a kind of OCD riddled yet open-hearted woman trying to keep her family together under tight finance restrictions and mental health issues. Like Lady Bird, Metcalf never makes her unlikable. She is the ultimate authoritarian figure in the story but all of her actions come from a very real place. It is the space between the two that informs pretty much most of Lady Bird's actions and the film, quite rightly, uses Metcalf sparingly for maximum effect. When the two do find some common ground, we do see how there is room for these characters to relate and really get on but this is only fleeting. We open with both getting emotional over the powerful words of John Steinbeck on an audio book of Grapes of Wrath but soon explodes into argument about having the radio on or not following the novel's conclusion. This just makes it more tragic that the two revert to defensive stances with each other. It's a complex relationship but the film makes us understand it completely.

At the centre of the film is the complex relationship between a mother and a daughter 

Lady Bird rounds off with a stellar set of supporting characters. Beanie Feldstein is pitch perfect as Lady Bird's best friend, Julianne. She might be the most quietly feminist element of this film. This character type is often played up for laughs - the overweight, slightly dim best friend. But she is never played to be the butt of jokes. Feldstein's performance is incredibly funny but it comes from a genuine place and never at the expense of her. Lucas Hedges is just as sweet as Lady Bird's first boyfriend, Danny. Again, this character also never veers into cliche and their break up comes from a very interesting place that morphs their relationship in unexpected ways. It's really unanticipated and quite authentic. And it's the little details that fill out the rest of the figures in this world. Tracy Letts as Lady Bird's quietly suffering father. The down-to-earth nun. The charming math teacher. The odd relationship between Lady Bird's brother and his beau. Timothee Chalamet as the too-cool-for-school-but-not-really-that-cool-guy-in-a-band. Stephen McKinley Henderson as the kind and loving Father Leviatch, who heads up the drama club but is secretly suffering from depression. With a brilliant and funny script (and it is funny), the world of Lady Bird just feels lived in and honest.

Lady Bird is probably one of the most confident and self-assured debut films from a director I can think of (she collaborated with Joe Swanberg on Nights and Weekends, so Lady Bird is Gerwig's debut single credit film). The whole thing is so wonderfully effortless that is emotionally raw, incredibly funny and beautifully made. The film finished in the blink of an eye and I was just left wanting more. Gerwig has promised three further unrelated films set in-and-around Sacramento and I can hardly wait to see where her talent takes her. The bar has certainly been raised higher for teen coming-of-age films. In its own way, Lady Bird is revolutionary in its feminist reinterpretation of the material. I loved, loved, loved every moment of this film. It's about as perfect of a film as you could think of.

And this is a somewhat tough call for the Oscar this year. Having seen 7 out of the 9 nominees, I do think this is one of the strongest, and toughest to call, line ups in years.