Some films take the slow burn route, while others kickstart things with an electrifying jolt. Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut, the 2017 coming-of-age gem Lady Bird, happens to be one of the latter.
The film recently landed on Netflix UK. Before Barbie awakened the world to Gerwig’s brand of feminism, Lady Bird showcased Gerwig’s directorial finesse in her ode to the many nuanced complexities of adolescence and the tumultuous dance between mothers and daughters.
The film follows Saoirse Ronan’s Christine McPherson, aka Lady Bird. As the spirited high school senior from Sacramento, California, longs for independence and an escape from her mundane surroundings, Gerwigs paints a portrait of coming-of-age that is all too gutwrenchingly relatable in parts and hilarious in its minutest observations.
Like most teenagers who grow up in contentious households, Christine longs for a life that is colourful and adventurous and as far away from their hometown as possible. But circumstances often build parental figures who end up pushing their limitation on their children. And Gerwig deals with these very real pangs of growing up with utmost care. In doing so, Lady Bird becomes a feminist celebration of girlhood and growing up without having to cut your wings.
Alongside Ronan, the stellar cast includes Laurie Metcalf, Timothée Chalamet and Beanie Feldstein. But nothing can beat its unforgettable opening scene, which serves as a microcosm of the emotional rollercoaster that lies ahead.
The film begins with a seemingly innocuous conversation that escalates rapidly and breathtakingly between Christine, aka Lady Bird, and her mother in their car. As the conversation quickly escalates into a fiery confrontation, outrage flies, and in true tunes of teenage audacity, it culminates in a moment of rebellion. As Lady Bird, as Christine wishes to be called at this stage in her life, hurls herself out of a moving car, her mother is as shocked as the audience.
The scene hits harder if you happen to be watching it for the very first time, of course. So, naturally, this scene left some Netflix viewers breathless and howling in resonance. Some viewers took to social media platforms with fervent praise for the film’s opening sequence, and it hailed as “iconic” and “unforgettable”. One who goes by the moniker @sunsetsfaded took to to X, formerly Twitter, to write: “i have literally never in my entire life seen a better opening scene to a film than lady bird”.
There were more who chimed in with the same sentiment. @fiImgal said: “lady bird’s opening scene really is so iconic” to which @bottegaga responded: “when she jumped, i screamed like her mother, i don’t believe my eyes lol”.
You can tune into Lady Bird on Netflix and catch the trailer here:
