One of the most moving scenes for me was when Ladybird's mother finds out that she had applied to a school in New York behind her mother's back, and Ladybird is trying desperately to convince her mother that it'll be financially manageable while begging for her forgiveness, while her mother silently washes the dishes. It’s like one of those nightmares in which you’re desperately screaming at your parents because they won't listen and they don't hear you or react at all. I had one of these dreams the night before I watched this movie, which is why this scene really got to me! Being ignored by a parent who otherwise micromanages you is so traumatizing, and I think the scene captured that feeling so well.
 |
| prom dress shopping, literally the worst!!! |
I also wanted to think a little more about the name Ladybird, which the main character gives herself and prefers to the name Christine, given to her by her mother. First of all, apparently British people call ladybugs ladybirds! Who knew?? Also, the image above of Ladybird in a flaming red-orange dress, with her feathery hair and faded red highlights, immediately brought to my mind the Firebird from Slavic folklore, whose feathers glow a fiery red and brings both great fortune and doom to its captor. I presume this mythical creature was popularized in Western culture by Stravinsky's Firebird Suite in Disney's Fantasia 2000 (a guess idk), in which a powerful bird spirit is awakened and consumes the surrounding forest and land in flames. This combination of awe-inspiring greatness and destruction fits nicely within a coming of age story, as we all know growing up comes with not only the beauty of new experiences and forming one's identity, but also inevitably fucking up a LOT during that process. For our movie protagonist, "Ladybird" is a self-made identity to wear and grow into, a way to hide from her mother in the only way she can. It's an identity is boldly claimed and that can be, depending on her audience, alienating or inviting in its irreverence. (Shout out to this great line: "If you took up-close shots of my vagina when I'm on my period, it'd look pretty disturbing, but that doesn't make it wrong.")
There were a lot of interesting character stories going on in this movie beyond Ladybird and her mother - her father is depressed but doesn't ever show it, her first boyfriend is gay and afraid to tell anyone, her best friend has anxiety about her weight that Ladybird is oblivious and insensitive to, her brother is clearly adopted given she and her parents are white af and his girlfriend lives with them because she got kicked out of her own family. There is so much to explore in these characters' lives and I was left wanting more of their story through their interactions with Ladybird. I admit, it would have been ambitious to flesh out all of these characters, but it would have been nice. It also might have made up for the fact that only non-white people in the movie serve as caricatures onto which Ladybird deploys her irreverence (e.g. copying answers off of an Asian girl in math class, having her brother and his gf portrayed as social weirdos who will "never get jobs" because of their facial piercings). Yeah, this movie was super white which is disappointing and made it hard to relate to. I definitely think it's about time that there's a well-received live-action coming of age story with a female protagonist (directed by a woman nonetheless), but America u still so white. Who run the 21st century? White feminists!!!
I also wish the movie had a slower pace to it, or perhaps had a little more quietness infused into it. The heavily stylized dialogue was funny but felt superficial at times, and I felt myself wanting more silences. So to sum it up, far from perfect IMO but I enjoyed it and appreciate the film for what it is. Perhaps the fact that it gave me a lot of different feelings is testament enough!
No comments:
Post a Comment