Little Women – An Amazing Story About Life’s Small Pleasures
The movie ‘Little Women’ is based on a novel by Louisa May Alcott. Directed by Greta Gerwig, the story revolves around four women and their varied life experiences.
Set in the erstwhile rustic countryside of England, the story is roughly towards the end of World War. Four sisters live with their mother at a medieval house in a village and the story chronicles their lives as they grow. It portrays their relationships, their bonding, their struggles, and above all, how each of them aspires something different from life.
In a society dominated by the men of those times, each of the sister in their own way tries to defy the so-called “womanish norms and etiquettes”. One of the sisters, Jo March (played by Saoirse Ronan in the role of a writer) is the boldest character among all. One of the quotes that stayed with me was when she told her mother animatedly, “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.” This aptly summarizes the misogynistic nature of the society which is sometimes the reflection of our times.
The other three sisters are portrayed by Emma Watson (as Meg March), Florence Pugh (as Amy March) and Eliza Scanlen (as Beth March). The clear standout amongst the entire cast was Jo, whose acting brought out the vices of the societal norms of the time in a thought-provoking manner. Meg continues to bring a charm to the movie by playing the role of the eldest sister. Emma portrayed the role of Meg effortlessly, although one would feel that this was not her best outing. Amy brought out the other end of the spectrum by her orthodox view that society relegates women to either be rich or marry rich. Beth also added a nice touch of being a brooding, sombre girl among the four sisters. The dialogues were excellent though a bit stretchy at times.
Overall, it’s a refreshing movie, one that is quite different from your mainstream cinema. Although the masochist issue of those times has been portrayed in other movies, the film does not harp on it at every phase. At the same time, it does provoke a sense of the biases and the so-called “standard woman roles” which sometimes continue to be seen in our present society.
It will be a treat for those who love to celebrate women or at its very basic, watch something simple, something that teaches us to savour the small pleasures of life.
