The best of Greta Gerwig, in front of and behind the camera

Making her start in the industry as an actress, Greta Gerwig appeared in a grand total of 25 films, co-created two, and co-wrote five. When she made her directorial debut in 2018 with Lady Bird, she became the fifth female filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars. Her merits certainly speak for themselves.

From her innate ability to find meaning in the mundane and give that its due diligence on screen to becoming widely credited for pioneering the ‘mumblecore’ genre of young indie film, Greta Gerwig is a voice to be reckoned with.

If you haven’t seen the behind the scenes clip of her directing Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet, prepare for a heart full of wholesomeness.

In conversation with Rolling Stone ahead of the release of the highly anticipated Barbie, Gerwig revealed that the project became very personal to her, specifically when Margot Robbie’s Barbie says, “I don’t wanna be an idea anymore.”

“When you’re directing something, you have to be a bit stupid about yourself, or a little bit unconscious… I had no idea [about the coincidence.] But that’s true. It’s completely true,” she explained of the connection. “The things where you really feel unconsciously seen are things like that, where you realise, oh, man, I didn’t hide anywhere. And that’s always part of the joy of making art for people, is sometimes they understand it more than you do, which is unsettling.”

So, given the roaring success of Barbie, Gerwig’s latest project, we’ve decided to reacquaint ourselves with some of her earlier work – both in front of and behind the camera. From instant coming-of-age classics to more experimental indie, here are some options to revert to next time you’re looking for something to watch…

Ladybird

Absolute essential viewing for anyone who remembers the complete and utter ‘woe is me’ feeling of being a teenager on the cusp of adulthood, but not being quite able to grab it. From her tenuous relationship with her mother to friendship and first love, it’s utterly exceptional cinema. Frame by frame, the aesthetics are perfect, and the score is sensational. If you haven’t already seen it, for the love of God, get on it!

Little Women

This rendition of Little Women draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott, and unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life. In Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters — four young women each determined to live life on her own terms — is both timeless and timely. Portraying Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen, with Timothée Chalamet as their neighbour Laurie, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.

Frances Ha

Frances, played by Greta Gerwig, lives in New York, but she doesn’t really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she’s not really a dancer. Frances has a best friend named Sophie, but they aren’t really speaking anymore. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness. Frances Ha is a modern comic fable that explores New York, friendship, class, ambition, failure, and redemption.

Greenberg

Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) is single, fortyish and at a crossroads in his life when he finds himself in Los Angeles, house-sitting for six weeks for his more successful/married-with-children brother. In search of a place to restart his life, Greenberg tries to reconnect with old friends including his former bandmate. But old friends aren’t necessarily still best friends, and Greenberg soon finds himself spending more and more time with his brother’s personal assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring singer and also something of a lost soul. Despite his best attempts not to be drawn in, Greenberg and Florence manage to forge a connection, and Greenberg realises he may at last have found a reason to be happy.

White Noise

Based on the book by Don DeLillo, White Noise is a film by Noah Baumbach starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig that is at once hilarious and horrifying, lyrical and absurd, ordinary and apocalyptic. Dramatising a contemporary American family’s attempts to deal with the mundane conflicts of everyday life while grappling with the universal mysteries of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world, it is a must-watch.

20th Century Women

Starring Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, and Lucas Jade Zumann, 20th Century Women tells the story of a teenage boy, his mother, and two other women — a free-spirited punk artist and a teenage neighbour — who help raise him among the love and freedom of Southern California of 1979.