Editorial: Did the Academy snub Greta Gerwig?
Greta Gerwig’s Little Women was one of the more highly anticipated movies of 2019. With a star-studded cast, it is interesting to see how this adaptation compared to previous ones. The movie received six Academy Award nominations, but Gerwig did not receive a nomination for best director.
This is Greta Gerwig’s second biggest movie after Lady Bird, which also starred Sairose Ronan and Timothée Chalamet. Gerwig is extremely talented in her ability to draw the audience into the story and allow us to find relatability in the characters. Gerwig is making huge strides in the directing world and is already a huge inspiration to those starting out. She cleverly uses color and light to create different moods the audience should feel. Gerwig was snubbed by the academy and was extremely deserving of a best director nomination at The Oscars. There is an extreme lack of representation for female directors in Hollywood. The Oscars are coming under fire for their continuous failure to acknowledge the hard work of female directors. All five of the nominees for 2020 are men. Little Women was nominated for six other awards, and yet, the woman who directed the film was not nominated. Gerwig completely deserved the nomination, not to mention the win. Little Women did, however, receive many nominations for acting.
Florence Pugh (Midsommar) received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Pugh has made a lot of waves in the acting world and has become a fan favorite. The March sisters also include Emma Watson (Harry Potter) who plays Meg March and fits perfectly in with the dynamic of the other sisters. The last sister, Beth, is played by Eliza Scanlen (Sharp Objects).
Jo March, the protagonist, is played by the amazingly talented Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird, The Lovely Bones). Ronan deserves so much more recognition from Hollywood for her versityle and astounding acting. She not only completely encapsulated the tomboy nature and stubbornness of Jo but also her free-spiritedness and confidence. Ronan definitely deserves the best actress award.
Love interest Laurie is played by the insanely talented Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name, The King). Chalamet has been in very successful movies over the last couple of years and it is no doubtably because of his amazing acting. He was the perfect Laurie, not taking away the importance of women hood and the relationships of the sisters, but added an interesting dynamic that extended the story. I am very excited to see what other things Chalamet has in his future.
If this cast wasn’t star studded enough, Meryl Streep also appears in the movie playing Aunt March. Having Streep in the movie set a high bar that the actors had to reach in order to not be upstaged by her incredible acting and every actor rose to the challenge.
Little Women is an amazing and powerful story of the importance of sisterhood and also staying true to oneself even if it is against the status quo. Gerwig’s adaptation is one to remember and was a great retelling for later generations.
