Beyond Barbie: Why Greta Gerwig Is So Much More Than Her Pink Movie

(SPOT.ph) Barbie is everywhere—on brands, on social media, and even in Philippine politics. It’s fun, full of pink, and finally puts director Greta Gerwig on everyone’s radar—not that she wasn’t critically acclaimed to begin with.

Gerwig has been in the film industry since 2006, starting as a low-profile actress before she went on to write and direct movies of her own. She has worked in close collaboration with her boyfriend, Noah Baumbach, and the two have embarked on several co-directorial projects together (including the highly anticipated Barbie).

It wasn’t until her solo directorial debut for Lady Bird that Gerwig gained widespread recognition in 2017. Little Women followed two years later in 2019, solidifying her reputation as both the director and writer of these films. The two movies received multiple nominations for the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. By 2018, Gerwig was part of Time 100's List of Most Influential People in the world. 

With just two films under her belt, the impact is undeniable. So what is it about Gerwig's work that has captured the hearts of so many? 

Also read: Hate Crowds? Watch Barbie and Oppenheimer at This Micro-Cinema

A look into Greta Gerwig's other movies

What is important to note about Gerwig’s movies is that the premise can easily feel cliché, especially if just read in text.

Lady Bird follows Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson’s (Saoirse Ronan) strained relationship with her overbearing mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf) in the small and uneventful town of Sacramento, California. In this coming-of-age comedy, she refuses to go by her real name, longs for “a city with culture,” and looks forward to special sex for her first time. Of course, the full teenage experience never goes as planned, or really, dreamed.

Also read: MOVIE REVIEW: Lady Bird Is A Humorous But Honest Tale About Growing Up

Little Women is another coming-of-age story with the four March sisters—Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy (Florence Pugh)—in focus. The literary tale is nothing new, having had various adaptions since Louisa May Alcott published her book in 1868. Set in the 19th Century, the March sisters navigate through love, loss, and sisterhood, each resolved to live life on her own terms.

Also read: Little Women Is a Beautifully Fresh Take on an Old Classic

We’ve seen these kinds of movies before, but Lady Bird isn’t just another high school movie, just as Little Women isn’t just another period piece. 

Greta Gerwig and her feminist perspective that stays true to women

It's no secret that women are at the heart of Gerwig’s narratives. Many hail Gerwig as a feminist icon in filmmaking, but not for reasons others might think. Gerwig is brilliant at writing women with conviction, but how this conviction plays out will often come across as selfish, a main trait that goes very much against the martyr image women are typically confined to: Lady Bird in her desire to escape from Sacramento, Amy to marry for wealth, not love, and Jo to hold on to a boy without wanting to be tied to a relationship.

By portraying women as flawed individuals with raw and complex emotions, she presents a more honest representation of femininity. One great example of this is seen in Jo’s monologue in Little Women:

“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. They've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty. I'm so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I'm so sick of it,” Jo pauses, nearing tears. “But I'm so lonely.”

It’s a shame that when people talk about this quote, they often leave out her last line as a way to champion for strong and independent women who can live life without a lover. Yes, the first half of Jo's statement is a criticism on gender stereotypes, which is what plenty of modern movies are trying to push for in the wake of the feminist movement. Gerwig takes another route: By showing vulnerability in her characters, she reclaims it as a strength rather than a weakness—a human trait that can also foster connections, empathy, and personal epiphanies for the people who watch her characters.

Even something as tumultuous as a mother-daughter relationship is explored, no holds barred, in what would become one of the most powerful moments in Lady Bird. Just take a look at the heartbreaking but heartfelt exchange between Lady Bird and Marion:

“I wish that you liked me,” Lady Bird says.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Marion replies: “Of course I love you.”

“But do you like me?” There is a noticeable pause.

“I want you to be the very best version of yourself that you can be.”

“What if this is the best version?” Another pause, but there is no answer this time.

It’s a scene so awfully honest that there’s little room to judge either of them. Both Lady Bird and Marion have the power to hurt each other in ways that no one else can, in large part because of how similar they are as people. Gerwig’s works have and continue to elevate authentic female voices in cinema—no matter how loud, offensive, or irrational that may be. This is what gives them depth.

Another thing worth noting is that there are no antagonists in Gerwig's movies, only the world around them that they have to face. This makes it easier to empathize with everyone in the movie, no matter how small the role. You might not see yourself in 18-year-old Lady Bird going through the motions of senior high school, but you might see yourself in her mother or maybe even her obnoxious but wise fling, Kyle (Timothee Chalamet). Even with a 150-year-old tale like Little Women manages to feel current under Gerwig’s direction.

In Lady Bird we learn that to love is to pay attention—and Gerwig gives so much love to her craft in every tone, shot, and expression. With only two released movies on her roster, Gerwig has a solid track record that we can only hope Barbie will match in character and story-telling.

Also read: 10 New Coming-of-Age Films Worth Adding to Your Next Marathon