Marion and Lady Bird's arc culminates in a final scene of revelation for both mother and daughter. They do not reach it at the same time, but in mirrored (and generational) ways - Marion sharing her epistolary, whispered soliloquys and Lady Bird in a voicemail message. After a night of alcoholic excess in her new home of New York City, Lady Bird wakes up in hospital and stumbles out onto the street. Searching for solace, she finds a Catholic church and goes inside to listen to Mass. She emerges, the silhouette of the church gleaming softly behind her, and phones her parents to leave a message for her mother. There is much which comes to the fore in this scene, but the emphasis is on the likeness of mother and daughter. Reclaiming her birth name, Christine talks about her first drive through Sacramento as a licensed driver. The film cuts silently to a montage of this moment, echoing an earlier drive of Marion driving home through the town, and in a scene of breathtaking elegance and simplicity aligns the two perspectives that have framed this narrative. Lady Bird and Marion are together, lying face to face, in the opening scene and a continent apart in the last. Gerwig traces their relationship with extraordinary grace, beginning from a place where Marion impacts so much of Lady Bird's outlook to one where, knowingly, Christine takes her own path. In this final moment, Christine reaches a profound and moving understanding of the importance of her family and friends and of Sacramento in her journey. This patchwork of moments and memories stitched the template to make her her and, in her brief, heartfelt message to her mother, Christine is finally able to thank her for filling her with everything she needs to be strong and fulfilled. Now, finally, she is free to fly away home.
That Lady Bird is only Gerwig’s first film as director is a marvel. It is a work of such sustained elegance, warmth, and purpose that it seems hard to imagine it ever having been a work-in-progress. The portrayal of the young Lady Bird’s life seems to have sprang fully-formed into existence, imbibing all of the boldness, vision, and charm of its lead. Gerwig’s stated aim was to show what it felt like to be young, and her film captures the vibrancy and conviction of youth. It is also an intimate, empowering, and loving exploration of agency, self-belief, and the most primal relationship in a young woman’s life. In this, it captures a cinematic magic we so rarely get to enjoy, and it is enchanting.
CinÉireann / June 2018 27