‘‘Little Women’’ (2019)

‘‘I like good strong words that mean something…’’

(Louisa May Alcott, Little Women)

The film adapted and directed by Greta Gerwig begins with a female shadow visible against an office door. Momentarily, this shadow hesitates and we assume that the person is pondering whether to enter or not. Decision made, it enters and we see Saoirse Ronan playing ‘Jo March’, enter boldly into a very austere and business-like environment. She is bringing a story to ‘Mr Dashwood’, in the hope, that it will be published. It is. But this is not the only story. For Jo March has another one to tell us. Her own personal tale of her own family. This is ‘Little Women’ and this is the start of yet another adaptation but this time it is directed by Greta Gerwig.

Greta Gerwig has united both fictional story and the real writer, Louisa May Alcott into a single meta-fictional narrative. This brilliant conceit will much later into the film yield huge emotional dividends as Gerwig plays with both Jo’s fictional timeline and the real timeline of the author of ‘Little Women’ Louisa May Alcott.

‘Little Women’ is one of the most filmed books in literature. I came to this film having seen the classic black and white versions many many years ago, both directed by men. I was familiar with the bare bones of the story. The story itself is not one that on face value…