Lady Bird

      The beloved movie Lady Bird has placed Sacramento, California on a map. The five-time Oscars nominated movie has brought immense pride and joy to those who live in Sacramento; it gives them a reason to show off the limited landmarks of our simple city. Lady Bird takes the audience through a young woman's- played by Saoirse Ronan- heartfelt coming-of-age story; it captures the bittersweet transition from adolescence to adulthood. The film also examines how one will come to recognize and appreciate the incomparable beauty of "home". There are many common archetypes used in "Lady Bird" such as the disapproving mother, the sad father, the mean girls, the strict teachers, the perfect boyfriend, and the "bad" boyfriend. However, Greta Gerwig, the writer and director, uses these archetypes as a building block for the main character, Lady Bird, to grow into a young adult.

      Personally, I think the experiences Lady Bird goes through are very real and relatable, making it easy for myself to relate to her character. I think this character is important because she goes through life experiences that are messy, but she is still able to pull herself through the foggy patches in her life. Out of frustration with her hometown- Sacramento, CA-, Lady Bird tries to find her own identity; she's a dynamic character that is seen being hypocritical and idealistic, self-absorbed and kind, and a conformist and rebel. Throughout the movie, Lady Bird is seen saying that she wants to move to New York or the East Coast and to just get away from California. Ever since I can remember, I've always found myself saying this to my mother because I've hated how small Sacramento is. New York is filled with endless possibilities; every corner you go, there's something going on. It's a bustling city filled with excitement, and I have fallen in love with the towering skyscrapers and the bright lights. I think that her character is very interesting because she is the ideal image of an American teenager. I think it's important for teenagers who are also struggling with their identities to see themselves portrayed on the large screen; it shows them that they are not alone with the experiences they face. I think that a lot of teenagers in high school, including myself, are at a stage in our lives where life becomes harder because we are all, in a way, trying to find ourselves in such a large world. Also, with college around the corner, we are dealing with a lot of stress and pressure with school and parents.

      Lady Bird focuses closely on the difficulties of a mother and daughter relationship. I think that the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother, Marion, is raw and genuine. Their arguments felt very real; their exchanged lines sounded like something an actual person might say. Lady Bird struggles with trying to satisfy her critical and disappointed mother- which is difficult because her mother's standards are set very high- and being true to her own self. Personally, I struggle with this because I always strive to be the best version of myself, but I constantly worry that it won't be enough for my mother. Just like Lady Bird and her mother, although we argue, my mother and I are never complete without each other. The film displayed and emphasized that there is no such thing as a perfect family; every family goes through some sort of problem.
      Because her character was so relatable, I found myself viewing my own life through her lens. I think that this proves the idea of the feedback loop that the Frontline "Making Cents out of Teens" film was talking about. The media puts out an image that they perceive us as- whether it's true or not- and as a result, teenagers start viewing the image of what they see portrayed in media as themselves.