Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” is like a breath of fresh air amidst the plethora of chaotic and mind-boggling (but also, super amazing) films that were released this year. And ironically so, since it is based on one of the classics that has been read over and over again, time and time again. The topmost notable factor is how Gerwig has updated the vision of feminism to the 21st century and has successfully managed to subtly infuse almost all scenes and an array of dialogues with it- “Women have minds and souls as well as just hearts, and they’ve got ambition and talent as well as just beauty. And I’m sick of people saying love is all a woman is fit for.” And she has done it all, while still maintaining the essence and pace of the 19th century storyline and not letting the treasured American classic fade away.

The fundamental story of the four sisters- Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth living with their mother Marmee and domestic help Hannah, stays intact. While the themes mostly lurk around family, sisterhood, love, marriage, courtship and domestic problems, the centre stage is occupied by the feisty and strong willed Jo. Gerwig has very pleasantly taken the novel and outpoured the content of it, essence and all in the film. Other than the drama which unfolds, the freshness of the story is maintained with the help of the non-linear narrative with its moments of triumph and tragedy that keeps the audience hooked till the very end of it, despite them knowing the story all along (well, most of them). The narrative unfolds melodically through flashbacks that fill up the audiences with nostalgia and has both emotional lows and euphoric highs. While Jo is shown to be the non-conformist and an upright feminist, assertive all along about her ambitions and aspiration, in hindsight, Amy is the one who is the more progressive one even though she conforms to the normative societal policies (of the 19th century). She makes it clear why she dreams what she dreams and how it is definitely not alright for anyone to chide her for it.

One of the most laudable scenes, however, is reserved for the end of the film. For the denouement, Gerwig resorts to a piquant twist. “Little Women” as we all know is an autobiographical tale written by Jo (in the story) which is sent over to a publisher. He asks her why the protagonist is not married by the end, to which she says, “She says the whole book that she doesn’t want to marry at all”. The publisher maintains that they have a happy (read - married) ending for the female protagonist- “Girls want to see women married, not consistent”, and he insists that the leading lady gets married in the end (or dies. well). And so, just like that, we can never be sure if Jo really does marry Professor Bhaer or if she only “sold her heroine for money”.