Little Women is astounding.
Jo seems especially smart and determined. Yet so do her three sisters. That they get along is a minor miracle, and seeing their tender childhood moments together is heartwarming.
But children grow up. Life bombards with responsibilities and expectations. These moments aren’t always heartwarming, but they’re just as important for Jo and her sisters to experience. The movie weaves it all together beautifully, past informing present, and present informing past.
There is an energy to this movie that is hard to describe. Thanks to brilliant acting and editing, each scene swells with life. This makes each feel intensely important, yet at the same time leaves us chomping at the bit for the next one.
In the end, Little Women is nothing less than a reminder of life’s possibilities: the good and the bad, the serendipitous and the hard-fought. It’s a reminder of the blank canvas that we all were, and still can be.