Call me insane, but I have never been a big “movie person.” I find it so hard to sit down and focus my attention on one thing for two hours, so I typically avoid them. However, when my mom invited me to see Greta Gerwig’s Little Women with her, I had to accept. I had heard such great things about it, and I already loved the story. 

The movie follows the lives of sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as they face sickness and death, but also silly and trivial challenges such as parties and putting on plays for their neighbors. Jo, played by Saoirse Ronan, dreams of being a writer but finds herself confined by norms and rules placed on women in literature. These norms play out in her own life as well as her sisters, making it known that their value would come more from who they marry and less of who they were or what they did. 

The youngest sister Amy, played by Florence Pugh, feels the pressures of marrying rich the most out of her sisters. She understands the consequences and risks of trying to make it on her own and makes finding a husband her top priority. Although this quality often made Amy the least liked sister in other adaptations of the book, Pugh and Gerwig managed to make Amy lovable and sympathetic. It is clear that Amy is not selfish or materialistic, but rather realistic and understanding of what was expected of her by her Aunt March. 

The oldest sister, Meg, dreams of being an actress but ends up settling down with a poor tutor, John Brooke. When Jo tries to talk her out of the wedding, saying they could run away together and make money on their own, Meg explains that although her dreams are different from Jo’s, they are not any less important. 

I love Little Women because while empowering women like Jo and validating her free and easy-going lifestyle, it also validates women like Amy and Meg who are very content with the structure that marriage and starting a family provides. 

Little Women can be taken and perceived in so many ways, and I truly believe it is a film for everyone. Regardless of who you are, you will be able to find yourself in someone in the film. I’ve seen it four times so far, and I’ve taken something new from it every time. I highly encourage all of you to see this movie at least once!