Movie: Little Women

Genre: Romance, Drama

IMDB: 7.8

Personal rating: 5/5

Little Women is a smashing hit novel published in 1868 written by Louisa May Alcott.

This story is based on the author Louisa May Alcott’s bittersweet experiences of her days that she had while growing up with her three sisters in 19th century war-battered England. She portrayed only a snip of her dark experiences. Thus the sore story becomes blooming.

And the reason behind this gets clear when the movie starts with a quote by the author -“I’ve had lots of troubles, so I write jolly tales.”

Now let’s see how the movie version of this story came out. If you go through the casts you know what a classy acting you are gonna witness in this movie.

Saoirse Ronan as Jo March, Timothee Chalamet as Laurie, Fourence Pugh as Amy March, Emma Watson as Megh March….  ahh all these name yell no one has any guts to judge their top-grade  acting. Their acting with top-class direction and 19th century England vibe is enough to keep you on your toes.

Little women is one of those movies I badly wanted to make a review on. I couldn’t wait to complete this review as it took me long time to gather all my feelings.

Furthermore it’s that type of upper level movie you cannot easily define. As I watched this movie long time ago, I had to watch it for the second time for reviewing but the chills I’ve gotten this time is no less than the first time.

Childhood in a nutshell

Who won’t love all the chaos of those sisters and their struggles that we get to see throughout the movie??? Battered-economic condition of their family couldn’t affect them in having fun whenever they were together. I ached seeing them getting apart pursuing their individual dreams.

They were messed up as teenagers should be! But when they offer their most awaited Christmas meal to another starving family with full of joy just melted my heart. Writer’s family was indeed troublemaker   with kindness, love and all those humane qualities showering upon them.  The director designed all their stories like transitions – present to past and vice versa.

Four little women and their glowing ups

Here we get to know the variation of women personalities and their views .Four types of unprivileged women from same family going through different types of troubles reminds us requirement of women empowerment in all sectors.

In our story, Alcott sets up her life going by the name Jo March. That stubborn attitude of Jo march in Little Women with a lenient heart is enough for me to get attached with her character. Sometimes Jo may seem harsh but she is always trying to support family, sisters without causing them any trouble with a firm determination that reminds us of woman empowerment.

That’s why Jo march will always be one of my most favorite female characters out there.  Just check out “Little Women” if you wanna find out what’s so great about the character Jo march and how insanely Ronan blossoms in her character.

Jo March is beyond controlling by the norms and expectations that the society imposes on her. But you know for a hushed life you shouldn’t act this way as it upends your life in a miserable way.

Just like Jo says while talking with her mother,

“I ruined our friendship with my temper, just as I ruin everything.”  I took it personally.

Also when she said, ” I care more to be loved.” I got attacked.

When it comes to the love triangle among Laurie, Jo and Amy….  Jo being ambivalent between her feelings of love and friendship, Laurie being obsessed with Jo and Amy with Laurie, I was looking forward to the fate that was waiting for them and at last when I got to know I felt a bit sad.

In the movie Jo March ends up getting married by falling in love in the end but in real life it didn’t happen with our writer. As the editor asked her to give the story some spice and told her, “Morals don’t sell nowadays”, she changed the story to a tastier one by giving Jo a happy ending.

And there comes artiste Amy who seemed like the main troublemaker. She is that type of girl who barely thinks of others, does whatever she wants without considering the outcomes and become the center of every trouble. You know these types are the blessed ones, suffer least, get the best ending in life just like Amy got.

Whatever, Amy was blindly in love with Laurie and tried utmost to get the attention of that arrogant rich boy. It seemed like she had redeemed herself as a grown up but as a character I couldn’t like her idk why…. Just personal feelings may be!!!!

On the contrary, Megh March,the older sister  is the  definition of a considerate wife and sister . She sometimes gets tired of poverty in her married life but end up embracing it by looking at her loved one.

Older ones in every family are indeed high in tolerance level that succeeds in becoming great daughter, sister, lover, wife and mother. That good girl vibe in Megh is all you want to see in your girl.

At last Beth, the younger one is the most calm and definitely the best one among the sisters. It’s told that good ones suffer the most and that’s what happened with her. She is one of those types who will never complaint no matter how badly you treat them.

That’s all about the sisters.  Now let’s talk about that arrogant rich boy Laurie. How can you not get mesmerized by the chemistry between Jo and Laurie!!!! When he expressed his feelings to Jo, I felt bad for him as Jo’s mindset wasn’t ready for love and she turned him down.

I got a bit irritated with Jo in this part of the movie. But in the end we see Laurie turning out to be a great husband from a mischievous boy. That’s how everyone’s life is going on-falling, being dumped, again falling and then moving on.

I can’t make a review of this movie without mentioning about that self-obsessed aunt and lovely, kind mother of the girls’ as they were mesmerizing in their own way and had their own depths in their characters.

Throughout the movie we terrifyingly witness how badly women were shackled on those 19th century days. Though we haven’t been able to make the situation of women any better these days even after two centuries.

Just like Jo March said while talking with her mother-

“And I’m sick of people saying love is all a woman is fit for. And they have got ambition and they have got talent, as well as just beauty.  They have minds, they have souls, as well as just hearts.”

Reviewer- Khatuna Jannat Esha, Student of EEE, University of Dhaka.