by Cassidy Delahunty, Editor-in-chief
When I told my mom I was seeing “Lady Bird” without her, she was understandably disappointed. All I had heard about the movie, which has already won two Golden Globes this year and is expected to be nominated for several Oscars, was that its representation of a mother-daughter relationship was beautifully well done.
The story follows a high school senior, Lady Bird (played by Saoirse Ronan), working her way through her final year of high school while navigating college applications, a tense relationship with her mother, relationship drama, and fitting in at a rich all-girls’ Catholic school. However, while Lady Bird’s various problems and conflicts are realistic and diverse, most of them do stem from her relationship from her mother (played by Laurie Metcalf) in some way.
As Lady Bird tries to escape the town she’s always lived in by applying to schools in New York city, her mother tries to make her stay close to home and apply to various community colleges. When Lady Bird has difficulty making new friends outside of the other kids who live “on the wrong side of the tracks” like her, she blames her mother.
However, it is clear from the very beginning of the movie that the pair love each other very much, and I found that to be the most realistic part about the whole movie. Few movies have a scene as real as the moment when Lady Bird and her mother go from yelling at each other in a clothing store to cooing over a pretty dress together in a matter of seconds.
However, this was not the only part of “Lady Bird” that made the whole experience so worthwhile. Despite being a high school coming-of-age story revolving around a teenage girl and her relationships, the movie had a very magical feel to it. As the audience moves through Lady Bird’s life with her, we can feel the haze of fear and sadness surrounding her, even in her happiest moments. We know all of her fears and doubts without her ever stating them aloud.
“Lady Bird” told one of the most beautiful and well done stories about high school and family and doubting yourself that I’ve ever seen. Finding the perfect balance between funny and heart wrenching, “Lady Bird” is a movie that would make any mother-daughter pair leave the theater laughing with tears in their eyes.