Greta Gerwig’s new voice
The actor-turned-director soars with Lady Bird
You’re going to get used to seeing a lot of the strangely alluring actress and filmmaker Greta Gerwig in the coming months. After years of starring in cultish indie films like The House of the Devil and Damsels in Distress, where we first came upon her, she finally found her fanbase when she appeared in the title role of the universally adored 2012 film Francis Ha, which she co-wrote with director Noah Baumbach. The now-romantic couple also co-wrote 2015’s Mistress American, a sort-of Breakfast at Tiffany’s update, in which Greta plays an adventurous (re: crazy) gal-about-town.
All of these projects she created with Baumbach were just dress rehearsals to the exciting prospect of Greta writing and directing her own films. And man, has she hit the bullseye with her debut effort, Lady Bird, a semi-autobiographical comedy/drama starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcaff. Already considered a front-runner for Academy Awards (for writing, directing, and its two stars), the movie tells a universal tale of the combative relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter at that critical moment when it’s time to leave the nest and learn to fly.
After receiving standing ovations at all of the film festivals, we can’t imagine Greta Gerwig will walk away empty-handed come Oscar season. See for yourself when Lady Bird opens in theaters on November 3rd.
