TIFF Review: Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird

A high school senior wants to leave behind Sacramento and her family to pursue a life of an artist on the East Coast.

A bickering mother and daughter are driving together in car until that latter decides to bring it to a dramatic conclusion.  Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) prefers to go by the name of Lady Bird and is going through an identity crisis that includes having sex for the first time; she has no shortage of smart ass comments and is compassionately supported by her father while constantly fighting with her mother.

Greta Gerwig makes a solid feature directorial debut and has learned a lot from her collaborations with Noah Baumbach, including using his frequent cinematographer Sam Levy.  Saoirse Ronan is charming as the rebellious teen and deserves to get an Oscar nomination for the role.  There is bitter sweetness to the proceedings and the absurdity life is a source of a lot of comedic value along with the quick-witted one liners.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.