“What you do is very baller. It’s very anarchist.”
No one distributes quality independent entertainment like A24. The company already has a long list of critically-acclaimed films under its belt, and it looks to be adding another with the upcoming release of Lady Bird this November.
Earlier today, September 5, A24 released the first trailer for Lady Bird. The film, which marks the directorial debut for Greta Gerwig (who also wrote the script), follows a teen girl (Saoirse Ronan) coming of age in the early 2000s. That may seem like an awfully familiar setup, and on the surface it is. The official synopsis reads:
“A California high school student plans to escape from her family and small town by going to college in New York.”
What makes Lady Bird special is in the details of its story. The film takes place over the course of the title character’s senior year in high school. During that time she must make decisions about the person she will become in the future, including where she will attend college. These choices weigh on her and her mother equally, which in turn causes friction in the household. Lady Bird wants one thing, but her mother wants another. Will they ever be able to sort it out without one feeling hurt?
Lady Bird recently made its premiere on the festival circuit. In their review, Variety was quick to point out how the film (which they loved) could give screen icon Laurie Metcalf her first legitimate chance at Oscar consideration:
“Metcalf has never had a big-screen role as rich as this, and she makes the most of it, playing a character who doesn’t hold back in criticizing her daughter’s faults (from academics to future job prospects), but works double shifts in the psych ward to provide for her future. On the surface, she’s tough on Lady Bird, but Metcalf manages to communicate between each line how it all comes from a place of caring. The big showdown between them involves Lady Bird’s choice of college, and what will become of the family if she goes off to the east coast. Gerwig may have flown the nest, but “Lady Bird” is proof that she hasn’t forgotten where she came from.”
Lady Bird opens in limited release on November 10.
