Alcott’s literary masterpiece has lived on for generations, and this rendition could not have come at a better time. In our world, which can often feel hopeless and loveless, we need to see the March sisters’ lives, and hopefully find our own Jo, Amy, Beth and Meg.
Concord, Mass. in the 1800s was a rough time for women, but the lives of the four March sisters – Amy, Jo, Beth and Meg – are nothing short of impactful. The latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s American classic “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig’s movie of the same name, will fill your heart with happiness, love, courage and grief, minute to minute and season to season in the lives of the March girls.
The now-veteran actor Saoirse Ronan plays Jo, the March sister whose passion for writing forms the basis of the story in a beautifully meta way; whether we are watching an adapted autobiography about an autobiography or a commentary on literature, it is fascinating. Jo’s emotional stance on the status of women, love and marriage surpasses the wisdom you see in today’s pop culture. This is an essential adaptation of classic literature.
“Little Women” jumps back and forth in time between a short time when the sisters are teenagers to seven years later, when they have all parted ways either because of travel, marriage or just to flee the nest. We see them fall in love and experience the pain of loss of love and rejection, both in the professional sense and romantic sense.
Every character’s reflection comes through with absolute, beautiful clarity in their respective actors. Florence Pugh plays Amy, and the 24-year-old actress has some unattainable charm that makes you believe her as both a troublemaking 12-year-old and a nuanced 19-year-old. Emma Watson is Meg, the eldest sister whose primary concerns are courtship and leaving her poverty-stricken house to live a more lavish lifestyle. But do not get her wrong; Watson’s skill lets Meg breathe, and even though her dreams may seem bratty, her personality does not come off that way.
Eliza Scanlen plays Beth, the third-born sister, and the one said to be the best of the sisters, respectfully. Beth is the purest of souls, and her affinity for music resonates through the film’s lovely score; you can feel her heartbeat in the music.
The list of acting greats goes on: Laura Dern as the mother “Marmee,” Meryl Streep as Aunt March, and Timothée Chalamet as Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence, one piece to Jo’s romantic puzzle but also Amy’s unattainable love interest. Not one second will you feel like these monumental actors and actresses overshadow their roles.
Alcott’s literary masterpiece has lived on for generations, and this rendition could not have come at a better time. In our world, which can often feel hopeless and loveless, we need to see the March sisters’ lives, and hopefully find our own Jo, Amy, Beth and Meg. But as Jo teaches us that a woman does not need a man, or that two people in love will not always work out together, we should at the very least try to live our lives for ourselves, not for others, and still give our love to the world.
These lovable characters have something important to tell each and every one of us. Even though they may be “little,” their impact on us is anything but.Culture‘Little