By Laura BennettThursday 1 Mar 2018MoviesReading Time: 2 minutes
Listen: Laura Bennett reviews Lady Bird.
We all have differing memories – and different degrees of horror – when it comes to looking back on our high school years. But there’s a lot to be gained from that time in life when you’re working out your world views, and trying to understand life.
Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson is an outspoken teen navigating an ever-changing relationship with her strong-willed Mum, all while trying to make it through an emotionally tumultuous final year of school. Having to learn what it’s like to be heartbroken and rebelling against her Catholic education, Lady Bird wants a life outside Sacramento and is fighting hard to make it happen.
Stepping away from the stereotypes of your average teen flick, Lady Bird is an unfiltered take on the challenges of adolescence, and the almost unjustified amount of responsibility we absorb in our youth.
Watching the role of religion in Lady Bird’s life, there are times when it offers her the hope and direction that you’d hope a Catholic school might, but at other times it’s a stodgy bugbear. Faith isn’t something Lady Bird will allow to be put upon her; it has to be something she finds for herself.
There are a number of adult themes addressed in the film, which certainly make it one for young people to watch with an adult, but Lady Bird is a great reminder we’re not alone in moments of loss or confusion, and that the encouragement of a parent can go a long way. See the trailer below.