Lady Bird is the coming age tale of teenage girl in Sacramento in 2002. Saoirse Ronan plays Christine a teen who has re-christened herself “Lady Bird”. She struggles with being a poor kid in Catholic school full of rich kids and with her relationship with her strict mother (Laurie Metcalf).
This movie is actress Greta Gerwig’s solo directing debut. It definitely has things going for it. Movies that feel like they actually capture the female experience still stand out. The relationship with Lady Bird and her mother is much more nuanced than most movies allow. You want to root for Lady Bird, even when she’s making bad decisions. But at the end of a film festival I’m kind of burned out on coming-of-age tales and recent period pieces.