uone of the great classics of literature, Little Womencomes up Rai 1 at 21.25 with the latest adaptation of the novel by Louisa May Alcott signed by Greta Gerwig. In the cast Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern – and the most acclaimed actor of recent times, Timothee Chalamet.
Little Womenthe plot
Through the memories of Jo (Saoirse Ronan), the film tells the life of March sisters on a double narrative planein which past and present are mixed. The present is that of 1868, in which Jo works in New York as a teacher pursuing the dream of becoming a writer. Meet the editor Dashwood (Tracy Letts), who agrees to publish one of his stories. Always in the Big Apple he knows Friedrich Bhaer (Louis Garrel)with whom he establishes a relationship of esteem and friendship.
Meanwhile sister Amy (Florence Pugh) has joined aunt March (Meryl Streep) in Paris. He spends his days between painting lessons, walks and parties. One morning, while she is in the carriage with her aunt, she catches a glimpse Laurie (Timothee Chalamet). She runs up to him and invites him to a party.
The story then moves on 7 years earlier, in 1861, when the March sisters have to get ready to go to a dance. Money is scarce, as are clothes and shoes. So only Jo and go Meg (Emma Watson). Here Jo meets Theodore Laurence, aka Laurie. The harmony is palpable. And it’s the beginning of one of the most troubled love stories ever.
Jo, the relationship with Friedrich and Laurie
In the present, Bhaer gives Jo some Shakespearean literature with the request to want to read his next writings. He accepts, but when he shows him his work, he receives negative reviews, even though he thinks he has talent. Also, he suggests she sign with her name, but she refuses because she doesn’t want to displease her mother Marmee (Laura Dern).
Meanwhile in Paris, Laurie misses her appointment with Amy. She scolds him, a dispute ensues, at the end of which the boy, drunk, scolds her for having spent time with Fred Vaughn (Dash Barber), a wealthy businessman with whom he could get married and change the economic fortunes of his family.
At the same time Jo receives a letter. Sister Beth’s (Eliza Scanlen) health has deteriorated and she must immediately return to Concord, Massachusetts. It goes back in time. It’s Christmas morning. Marmee and her daughters give their breakfast to Mrs. Hummel and her children. As a reward for the nice gesture, they in turn get a hearty breakfast offered by Laurie. They also receive a letter from their father (Bob Odenkirk), a volunteer in the American Civil War.
Saoirse Ronan, Laura Dern, Eliza Scanlen, Florence Pugh and Emma Watson in the cast of “Little Women”.
Jo rejects Laurie
The man is badly injured. Marmee joins him and, during his absence, Beth goes to the Hummels and contracts scarlet fever. We need money for treatment and Jo decides to sell her hair. Soon after, Beth recovers and her father comes home. Meg falls in love with John Brooke (James Norton), “a penniless teacher”as Aunt March defines it, with whom she marries.
The wedding day, Laurie confesses her feelings to Jo, but she refuses. He argues his own idiosyncrasy about marriage. «I don’t think I’ll ever want to get married, I’m happy like this. I value my freedom too much to put it aside.” She’s a staunch feminist, Jo, and she is not willing to give up her dreams in order to have a man next to her. So he prefers to say no to the love of a lifetime.
Laurie doesn’t believe her and the two say goodbye. After which the scene returns to the present. Amy and Laurie are getting closer and closer. She urges him to take control of his own life. He asks her to marry him, but the girl refuses because she doesn’t want to feel like a second choice compared to Jo.
The ending of Little Women
Jo continues to look after Amy, reads her stories, but shortly after her sister dies. So she decides to quit writing and begins to reflect on his life, especially on the choices made up to that moment. He obviously thinks about Laurie and wonders if she rejected him too quickly. She is also certain that if she asked her to marry him, she would accept. So she writes him a letter in which she confesses her feelings.
Too late. Laurie has already married Amy and is in love with her. “I’ve always loved you, but the love I feel for Amy is different,” he says. “You were right: we would have killed each other,” she adds. So, they agree to be friends and Jo rips up the letter. She returns to her life as a writer, or at least to her dream of becoming one. Contact Mr. Dashwood and, after an initial refusal, gets the yes to publish the novel entitled Little Women.
His love life also takes an unexpected turn. Friedrich Bhaer shows up in Concord, Massachusetts. He tells her he has received a job offer in California. Just before she leaves, Jo stops him and, for the first time, lets love into her life.
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