2.2 Film Ladybird by Greta Gerwig

Relationships

Character development

Setting

Ideas/themes of purpose

Lady bird + Julie

Lady bird + Danny

Lady bird + Marion

Lady bird + Jenna

The truth about Complex relationships / human nature

Friendships are a reflection of where you are in life

You have to come to terms with your past and appreciate it before you move on your life

Coming of age

Trying to find who you are

Reflecting on your actions slowing down, who you decided to become and where you are in life is so important:

in the car w Kyle, close up shot, LB reflects on who her real friends are and who she actually would want to spend time with - goes back with julie
end scene halo effect close up shot, LB, 20 length long take

Pool hangout at Jenna’s

Jenna loves Sacramento, doesn’t want to leave
Ladybird is the opposite,‘
"Jenna disappears under the water. Lady Bird considers that perhaps Jenna is not such a good fit for her as a friend, even if she is popular and cool. They aren’t the same.” - Script
two shot

Class time

LB changes herself:
-Language swearing, Talking bad behind people she truly likes eg Nun … “She’s a C", but you like her.. but she's a C"

Lies about where she lives (Big dream house Danny’s Gran's home )
Trying to look like Jenna, tying up hair with a ribbon, wearing no vest.
Declining food from Julie "I'm trying to lose weight"
Body language, leaning forward to
Behavior to fit in with Jenna (popular girl) and so she can get closer to Kyle, a boy she's thinks is attractive.

Prom

Jenna + her BF talks behind LB back:
"I think she's weird. she is weird"
"Yeah I hate dances"
Driving around with Jonah and Jenna. It’s no fun. - Script
Showing us CONTRAST W Danny/Julie and friends:
They don't get along
Ladybird is odd, outcasted, different
Don’t want to do the same things together
No laughter, joy, fun, no true connection
cold dark lighting
everyone wearing dark coloured outfits LB Bright bold pink/red dress

“We are afraid that we will never escape our past and we are afraid of what the future will bring, we’re afraid that we will not get into the college of our choice we are afraid we won’t be loved, we won’t be liked, we won’t succeed” - Priest Homily during a montage of church and glimpses of Ladybird’s life

Mirroring moments

Big blue dream house:

bodies close together, like each other, good friends
same expression
appreciating the neighbourhood
wanting to live there, anticipating life there
Tracking shot with genuine dialogue and music ( Clarinet: calm gentle beautiful, the awe of surroundings, wishing for more

Prom:

Dancing closely, fun, enjoying the time
laughing, smiling, singing
hugging, side by side, holding each other
saying things at the same time "Log ride"
eye contact, body facing each other, holding hands
Shows the closeness of their friendship and how happy they make each other, meant to be friends Song Crash into me ... " Sweet like candy to my soul, sweet you roll, lost for you I'm so lost for you "

Eating Altar bread:

same body language
laughing together
smiling together
soft lighting coming through
Showing us they are good close friends

Crying in Car scene:

both crying but for different reasons (dreams are lost)
parallel emotions
close up two-shot birds-eye view
side by side, holding hands
"Crash into me" song by Dave Matthews becomes memorable

Shows us how close they are and open/close, true their friendship is

Love between them

Complex conflict between them

Thanksgiving
INT. LADY BIRD’S HOUSE. LATE AT NIGHT. Marion, still in her nurses uniform, sits at the sewing machine, tailoring the dress she and Lady Bird found. She finishes, and then hangs it up quietly in Lady Bird’s room. Doesn’t wake her up, simply watches her daughter sleep for a minute. - script - shows how she loves her

My mom’s always mad doesn’t matter if I get home late she’ll be mad at me anyway
your moms hard on you - Danny
Well she loves me a lot - LB

She always said she lives on the Wrong side of the tracks - Danny explaining to Marion
And her face changes to offended and upset that she is ashamed of where she lives - actors performance takes it out on LadyBird comes out in her beautiful pink dress
Wow you look amazing - Danny
What the hell is in the deffel bag ?- Mom first thing she says to her
Then close up shot on moms upset face

Dialogue: Marion walking in the kitchen as
Close up ‘we missed you lady Bird” happily but her smile fades quickly leaving a sad and cold feeling

Dark lighting, Two shot close up: Shelly says “Your mom is really sad that you weren’t here tonight for thanksgiving “Yeah Well she hates me”- LB “She has a big heart your mom, she took me in after my parents freaked out about, whatever premarital sex, I admire her”

Opening scene close up shot of M + LB sleeping facing each other

mirroring each other, like <3
connected mother & daughter
Shows us the love between them.

Drive home: crying together to the audio book of Grapes of wrath by Johnsteinbeck - intellectual connection

Similarity

Loving both caring scenes

Marion with Father appointment (mental health), comforts, caring, open accepting, supporting.
LB + Danny, coming out feeling ashamed, cries apologies, they Reconcile outside cafe
“He’s telling the truth and she is genuinely touched. They embrace again. They are friends, real friends now.” - script

Contrast with Danny + friends

Argument: “She has to know how you feel otherwise she thinks she can say anything at all and nobody gets hurt… Wrong side of the tracks’ ... I highly doubt that you'd get a good job to pay that'

After a conflict with Kyle: “MARION Well, I was just arriving from work and...She wants to say she misses Lady Bird but instead saysMARION (CONT’D) It was easier... Lady Bird starts crying. Very hard. Marion pulls over, hugs her:
MARION (CONT’D) Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay. As she’s rubbing her back. Marion doesn’t know her daughter’s friends, her t-shirts, or why she’s crying. She holds Lady Bird, then thinks of something:
MARION ... want to do our favorite Sunday activity? I don’t have a second shift... Lady Bird nods, it would be nice.

INT./EXT. OPEN HOUSES AROUND SACRAMENTO. DAY. Marion and Lady Bird go to all the different open houses. They love doing this. They could never buy any of them, but it is so neat to see the inside of houses you’ve always known, and to imagine a different life. Where would your bed go?, etc. It’s a great day. Maybe the best in a long time. Maybe ever.

All singing loudly and excitedly ‘will explode waking up the countryside’
Moving expressing dramatically
Having fun together, they all like each other
All have something in common, everyone is joining in they are connected, clearly all make each other happy
Music is upbeat and fun trumpets brass, drums when they are high and drunk.
both dreamers
American dream

LB + Kyle

Chat at the Deuce: Camera shots and composition, lighting, dialouge
Over the shoulder shots looking down on ladybird and looking up to Kyle

Kyle and Ladybird not at the same level, not eye to eye reflecting their relationship
Lighting blue, not warm and comfortable
The conversation is not flowing, so awkward, different and pointless
Kyle face expressionless, no emotion or joy, interested in completely different things compared to LB

‘What you did was very baller, it was very anarchist”
‘Yeah FCK ‘em’
‘Don’t worry I won’t snitch on you’
‘Well I hope not cause I’d fcking kill your family’ dramatically jokes
‘...what?’ serious tone and expression....
“Before what?”“They put them in our brains”Laughs and he stays serious expression and tone, awkward silence“
Lady Bird laughs and then stops herself. He is dead fucking serious. She wants to touch him again but can’t invent a reason why.”- script

Kyle drops off Lady Bird. Screeches away. Lady Bird stands in front of Julie’s apartment complex. She’s milling around when a car pulls up - script

Does mom hate me?- LB

“You and your mom both have such strong personalities she doesn’t know how to help you and it frustrates her” - father

Mom finds out about the waiting list in NY
Music, sharp piano, uncomfortable, gloomy,
As LB tries to apologize, I didn’t mean to hurt you… I do appreciate you, I’m sorry I’m so so sorry, Voice gets louder, continuous,Mom is silent and doesn’t say anything, ignoring her, not looking at her doing the dishes.
LB says she appreciates everything but she doesn’t show it. Her mother needs to see it through action, not just by words.
She needs to stand behind what she says.

Sacramento

New York

Dream exciting place, wants 'culture' collage, goes behind Marion's back to go there, not appreciating what they've done for her wants more,.

Financial problems:

Father loses job + depressed
They are not rich
They do all the can for LB
stresses out parents, LB not being appreciative

Montage of growing up: - becoming an adult, almost leaving her childhood in the past

Getting a new job at the grocery store
Working at the cafe too
Passing drivers test

LADY BIRD’S BEDROOM. DAY. Lady Bird repaints her room, covering the pink walls – and Danny and Kyle’s names – in fresh white.

A manila envelope. She opens it, and all these letters fall out - crumpled up starts and half-starts. She looks at all of them one at a time. They all begin essentially the same: “I love you so much and I don’t know how to tell you that, I can’t communicate it to you in a way that ...”

Leaving airport
Script - sad piano, and orchestra building up , emotions,
Marion can barely look at her, it’s too hard and she’s too mad and hurts too much.
MARION Dad will walk you to security, parking is too expensive here.
Marion drives away abruptly. Lady Bird gets smaller in the frame. Marion is the focus. Marion circles, then circles back. She is crying now, she thought it would be easier to not say goodbye but it isn’t. She parks the car. Runs as fast as she can to go say goodbye. Runs into the airport looking for Lady Bird and Larry. Sees Larry walking towards her.

Gets drunk ends up in hospital : Miserable (song Always see your face)
"Won't somebody please help me with my miseries?
Can somebody see, yeah, what this world has done to me?"

Christine opens her eyes. Looks at her bracelet. Sits up. A child sits across from her with something definitely wrong with his eye. She winces. She stands. It seems like she can just walk out. She does. - Script

We show our love and connection through paying attention

I read your college essay. You clearly love Sacramento.
LADY BIRD I do?
SISTER SARAH-JOAN Well, you write about Sacramento so affectionately, and with such care. LADY BIRD I was just describing it.SISTER SARAH-JOAN It comes across as love.LADY BIRD Sure, I guess I pay attention.SISTER SARAH-JOAN Don’t you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?” script

New York not as appealing at first:

Busy and noisy city, cloudy whether,
Church day nicer, beautiful, sunny like Sacramento

INT. CHURCH. DAY.
Snippets of a sermon, some donation baskets. The choir gets up to sing “Blessed Assurance.” Christine listens and then cries, hard, and then starts laughing and singing along.
It turns out that her life is just beginning. She ducks into the entry-way of the church. Gets out her phone, calls her home phone.She leaves a message: CHRISTINE Hi Mom and Dad, it’s me. Christine. It’s the name you gave me. It’s a good one. Dad, this is more for Mom - Hey Mom: did you feel emotional the first time that you drove in Sacramento? I did and I wanted to tell you, but we weren’t really talking when it happened.All those bends I’ve known my whole life, and stores, and the whole thing. But I wanted to tell you. I love you. Thank you, I’m... thank you.- Montage of her driving + of her mother doing the same - both in awe

Flat, boring, nothing, LB seems like she hates it

'I've gotta get out of Sacramento'
'I wish I could live through something'

Despite all their bickering, They still love each other a lot.

Blues, greens & yellows lighting

Conflict shows how close you are with someone
close relationships show the worst side of you
What ever you do you know they will always love you and won't leave

this includes:

your self identity
life experiences
importance of slowing down
living mindfully
accepting and letting go