Literary Criticism of the Little Women "2019" Movie Directed by Greta Gerwigg

Actress

The little women film officially premiered in 2019. This film is played by a number of well-known actresses such as Saoirse Ronan, Timothe Chalamet, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and many more. Previously, Saorise Ronan, who played Jo March, was acting opposite Timothe who played Laurie in the 2017 film Lady Birds. In the film, Lady Birds Saorise played a teenage girl who is stubborn and has big dreams. In the film Little Women, Saorise plays a woman who is persistent in her principle of providing for her family. Timothe who plays Laurie secretly has feelings for Saorise or Jo march. However, this feeling was rejected by Jo March because she did not believe in the meaning of marriage. She just wants to work and chase his dreams. Furthermore, Saorise here plays the role of a woman in the 18th century who has a firm stance, is stubborn, and is visionary. Women in the 18th century still experienced differences with men, especially in making money. Many women are encouraged to look for rich men, so that their economic life is lifted and guaranteed. Saorise in the film rejects this assumption by not choosing to get married, but preferring to pursue her goals first. 

In this film, Saorise really explores her role even though the role is too far for her age. And of course she had never felt like a woman in that century. She is able to act as a stubborn woman. She is stubborn because he adheres to his principle, which is to support herself and help her family. In the 18th century it was very visionary for women. 

Of course, in that century, the social system of society tended to consider women to be powerless in terms of earning income. However, Saorise was able to play the character Jo well, so there was a special attraction that women at that time could also earn income. By showing her persistence in acting, she was able to get rid of the fact that only men could earn money in the 18th century. So, it can be said that Saorise succeeded in playing Jo very well, who was able to break down social boundaries at that time which bound women.

Then, there is the elegant woman from the March family, namely Meg, played by Emma Watson. Emma Watson here can play someone who is good at acting and dreaming. She was able to show her graceful side in the film. She plays a graceful and simple woman.

At that time she had a dream to become an actress. Emma showed it by being able to act in front of children like in theater. She is able to act as someone who is certainly graceful and humble. This is shown in her attitude that she accepts John Broke as her husband in the film, a tutor who has not much income. Even though she is young, her acting is no less good than the legendary senior actresses. 

In the film Little Women there is a senior actress namely Meryl Streep, who is a senior actor who has played in various genres, in this film she plays Aunt March. She plays an aunt of the March family. Meryl is capable of portraying a snobbish, overbearing aunt.

Meryl acted very well because she was able to portray a person who stands firm on her principles. She has also played a character who has that trait in the film The Devil Wears Prada which aired in 2006.

In the March family there is a quiet daughter named Beth. Beth is played by Eliza Scanlen. Eliza plays a quiet girl but she has skills. She is good at playing the piano. Eliza can show her acting skills well. she was able to show that he could play the piano in this film.

This film also hooked a well-known actress, namely Florence Pugh. In this film she plays Amy. She can show her acting skills by acting as a spoiled girl. Here she shows his spoiled attitude with Jo. In this film, she is able to show her painting skills.

The female characters show a feminist struggle. This was shown by Jo deciding not to marry. Because in the 18th century, women were said to be successful if they had become wives and mothers. However, this inequality was pushed over by the cast of Little Women who were able to emphasize that women can also earn like Jo who acts as a writer and gets results because of her own efforts. 

In the film Little Women there is an actor who has an important role among the March family. It is Laurence. Laurence is played by Timothe Chalamet. Not much different from the previous film, Timothe in the film Little Women has the role of the grandson of a rich man who is handsome, generous, but he is someone who likes to have fun. In the film Little Women, Timothe also has a relationship with Jo.

Timothe really lives up to his role as the grandson of the wealthy Mr. Laurence. He can show off his own will by acting disobedient with his grandfather and occasionally drinking alcohol. He can act drunk.

It can be concluded that, in the film Little Women played by famous actors and actresses. They were chosen to play the characters in the film with the aim of being able to convey the message of the film properly. With their acting skills, the audience can live up to the film and of course attract the attention of the audience. 

Plot

The plot used in the film "Little women 2019" is the forward and backward plot. The film producer, Greta Gerwig divides the film into two different time periods, namely the past and the present. These two timelines alternately fill each other, zig zagging from one period to another. The reason Greta uses this zigzag flow is to emphasize expectations and reality, what is desired and what is realized, what is different from past and present growth.

The backward and forward plot used in this film can make the audience feel bored and can also make the audience feel interested or curious about the continuation of this film. The audience felt bored in the early scene of the film when Jo submitted that the results of the story were only seen and the scene looked quite boring because it looked monotonous. However, this also makes the audience curious about why the scene is like that, so they want to continue watching this film.

The backward and forward plot used in this film makes the audience interested and enters the march family even more. In the advanced plot, it tells the story of Jo's life with her siblings. Then the backwards plot tells of childhood and also the dreams experienced by the Jo's family.

In the film "Little Women 2019" the forward plot is characterized by cold saturation or more bluish. Evidenced in the 06.08 minute which tells of Amy who has finished attending a painting class and meeting Amy and Laurie after she has not seen each other for a long time. The saturation in this scene looks bluish in color and the image is bright or clear. Meanwhile, the backward groove is marked by saturation of warmth or more to the orange. This is proven in the 12.10th minute scene which tells about the March family 7 years ago, tells about Jo's first meeting with Laurie, and Amy's first meeting with Laurie.

Atmosphere

The film "Little Women 2019" depicts the atmosphere of the 19th century in Concord. Greta Gerwig describes the atmosphere of the 19th century in detail, such as classic houses, street conditions, settlements, stationery, transportation, clothing, and the decorations used by the characters in this film create an antique impression. This supports the creation of a 19th-century atmosphere in this film.

The film "Little Women 2019" uses a back and forth plot. The back-and-forth flow used in this film presents current conditions and past conditions. The shooting in this film varies greatly with differences in tone that adjust to the flow of the film. The tone used in this film varies. This film depicts stories of the past with soft tones and stories of the present with bright, strong tones. In the past, using tones with soft colors created an antique feel. Meanwhile, using strong bright colors creates a more modern feel.

In this scene (12:08) the colors are softer and the tones warmer. That's because in this scene the film is telling about the past. So, being given soft colors and warmer tones can create an old or antique feel.

In this scene (1:56:29) it is given a bright strong color and a cooler tone. That's because in this scene the film is telling about the present. So, giving strong bright colors and cooler tones can create a contemporary feel that is modern in terms of appearance.

From the film "Little Woman" the audience can take moral messages including to always share and help with anyone, love and encourage one another with siblings, believe and have faith in dreams, as women we can make our choices in life.

Reference

https://edwindianto.wordpress.com/2020/02/16/review-film-little-women-2 

https://www.cnnindonesia.com/hiburan/20200214174058-220-474757/review-film-little-women

Arranged by:
Agista Putri A/A320190154
Safira Nurul I/A320190159
Hilmy Ananda M R/ A320190175