Dear booklovers, today, despite the fact that times are turbulent, we are going to take a little break from the books and distract ourselves a little in this quarantine, and I will tell you about a movie I watched a few weeks ago, which as you know, I had as a pending for some time: Little Women! There are several film adaptations of this work by Louisa May Alcott (if you want to read a review in spanish of this great book, click here), but today we'll talk about the most recent film adaptation, produced in 2019 by Greta Gerwig.

I'll start by talking about the cast, because I was particularly fascinated by it and I think that all the actors were very up to date with the plot and with each character.

First, we have Emma Watson playing Meg, the oldest of the March sisters. In my opinion, she was very well suited to the role of big, responsible sister, reminding me a little of her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies. Source of image

On this occasion, Saoirse Ronan plays Jo March (who was my favorite character). I can't put into words how much I loved her performance as Jo. Ok, maybe she was favored by the fact that practically Jo is the main character of the story, but all her scenes are extraordinary, her quotes are beautiful and super relatable and I think she knew how to transmit perfectly the character of Jo that Louisa May Alcott describes in her book. Source of image

Eliza Scanlen played the quiet Beth. Although Beth is one of the characters who gradually stops appearing as the film progresses (I won't say why so as not to spoil you guys), I think Scanlen managed to capture very well the innocence and kindness that characterize Beth March, besides the fact that her angelic face reflects a lot of her character, in my opinion. I think Gerwig made a very good decision in choosing her for the role. Source of image

We also have Amy, the youngest of the sisters, who is played by Florence Pugh. Amy is one of the most mutating characters throughout the story, precisely because as being the youngest of the sisters, we can see her through many stages: childhood, adolescence and adulthood, and of course, the changes that each stage brings with it. For this reason, playing Amy turns out to be, without a doubt, a super complicated role. And as if that wasn't enough, this performance is also made difficult by the fact that Amy has a strong and irreverent character, which was very well highlighted in every scene in which this character appears, thanks to Florence's masterful interpretation. Source of image

Then there is Theodore Laurence (better known as Laurie or Teddy, as Jo affectionately calls him), played by Timothée Chalamet. The role of a charming, mischievous and rich young man certainly suits Timothée perfectly. From a more personal point of view, I loved his performance, because I think he perfectly brings out the emotionality and vulnerability experienced by men, which is something that we don't see very often and I think is a big plus of this film because it makes the performance of this character look more real and genuine, and is something that lacks in other older film versions of this work. Source of image

Marmee March, the little women's mother, is played by none other than Laura Dern. As she appears in the book, the film's Marmee gets involved in charity and always tries to make her daughters see that money is not everything, trying to guide their morals despite their very different and unique personalities. Source of image

For her part, the great Meryl Streep plays Aunt March, and her role as a cold and sometimes cruel woman with her nieces, in addition to the contradictions typical of this very closed-minded character, is very funny. Source of image

Without a doubt, this is a film beyond beautiful, both for its characters and for the spectacular costumes and setting. I think that this version of the already several existing Little Women films, is the one that denotes more feminist brushstrokes, especially because of Jo and Amy's lines, which I think are the strongest characters in the work, which make many of us identify more easily with them. However, something that I think takes away from the feature film is the fact that it doesn't follow a single timeline, but rather throughout the film it constantly returns to the past and present, which in my opinion makes it difficult to follow the plot, especially for those who don't know the original story.

This version of Little Women is so real and genuine, and I think the actors strive to convey all the emotionality that distinguishes their characters, and I'm sure that if Louisa May Alcott were still alive to direct the film adaptation of her own work, it would have resulted in this very film.