We independently assess all our recommendations. Purchases through our links may earn us a commission.
Barbie is almost upon us, and what better way to commemorate the occasion than with a deep dive into its writer/director’s filmography? Greta Gerwig has quickly proven herself to be one of her generation’s most skillful auteurs. As a young filmmaker, Gerwig doesn’t yet possess the most expansive filmography, but her catalog makes up for its brevity with searing wit and personality.
For our purposes in this piece, we will only be covering films Gerwig had a hand in writing and/or directing. That excludes popular films in which she received only acting credits, such as Greenberg, The House of the Devil, and White Noise.
It’s also important to note that we’ll be omitting Gerwig’s early independent offerings like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Northern Comfort. Gerwig has utilized a multitude of tones and genres in her work thus far, but whether she’s making a period piece or a modern love story, her signature style is always palpable on the page and screen. Let’s break it down.
5. Nights and Weekends (2008)
Gerwig co-wrote and directed this late-aughts modern love story with Joe Swanberg. The film follows Mattie (Greta Gerwig) and James (Joe Swanberg) as they navigate the choppy waters of a young long-distance relationship. Nights and Weekends operates with a distinct mumblecore aesthetic reminiscent of contemporary films from the Duplass brothers – one of whom plays a supporting role in the movie.
With handheld cameras and overlapping dialogue, Nights and Weekends listlessly lumbers through its hazy plot with a certain clumsy grace. Undoubtedly inspired by the cinéma vérité movement popularized by films like Jerry Schatzberg’s The Panic in Needle Park, Nights and Weekends has no score or soundtrack, adding to the “fly on the wall” viewing experience many will feel while watching.
The dialogue is improvisational and awkward, but more than a few nuggets of insight manage to peek their way through the noise. The first half of the film depicts a relationship full of strain, with both partners struggling to hold onto their reasons for keeping it all together. At the midway point, we jump forward in time one year, and through subtextual context clues, it’s clear James and Mattie’s relationship has dissolved.
Whether they ever see their way back to how things were is left open to interpretation. Thanks to its staunch aversion to holding the audience’s hand to any degree, Nights and Weekends can be a frustrating watch at times. Many of the calling cards of a green young auteur are present here, but there are just as many indicators of burgeoning brilliance to make up for them.
4. Mistress America (2015)
Much like her upcoming film Barbie, Gerwig collaborated with her partner Noah Baumbach on 2015’s Mistress America. The movie follows college freshman Tracy (Lola Kirke) as she endures the trials and tribulations of early collegiate blues. Her mother sets up an adult playdate of sorts with her new fiance’s daughter, Brooke (Greta Gerwig).
Tracy quickly falls in love with Brooke’s carefree lifestyle, but after a few weeks of playing sidekick, the unsightly seams of Brooke’s not-so-perfect life begin to show. Once Brooke discovers Tracy’s unflattering depiction of her in a short story, their relationship sours. In the end, they come to an understanding, and Brooke resolves to turn her hectic life into something sturdier.
In plot and tone, Mistress America is a much more traditional film than any of Gerwig’s previous efforts. It’s a straightforward story with well-supported themes of self-betterment, idolization, and aging. It might be less dramatically engaging than much of Gerwig’s recent work, but it has a breezy pace and more than enough hilarious one-liners to make it worth a watch.
By the way!
Did you know we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign? In the next few months, our campaign for ‘Gentle Jack: The Party Game for Bad Friends‘ goes live! Visit the official website or follow the Kickstarter page to stay in the loop.
3. Frances Ha (2010)
There are few films that capture the essence of the early 2010s millennial experience as well as Frances Ha. This Baumbach-directed and Gerwig-penned indie flick follows the friendship of Frances (Greta Gerwig) and Sophie (Mickey Summer). Frances is an aspiring professional dancer that clearly lacks the raw talent necessary to compete in New York City’s highly competitive dance industry.
As Sophie’s romantic relationship becomes more serious, Frances starts to worry that their once ironclad friendship is beginning to drift. Sophie plans to leave their shared apartment, leading Frances to seek a new living situation she can afford. She aimlessly bumbles through this tumultuous transitional period as she tries to find a stable financial footing and personal identity that makes sense to her.
At its core, Frances Ha is a story about coming to terms with the loss of young adulthood. The strong friendships we forge in our early twenties don’t always remain so, and the film expertly analyzes these changes without ever dipping into maudlin sentimentality. Its black-and-white visual aesthetic adds to the ambiance, and Baumbach’s steady-handed direction choices lend an incisively artful sheen to the viewing experience. Some film fans might find the slow pace a bit dreary, but with enough patience, Frances Ha will reward you with a poignant, heartfelt rumination on what it means to be a grown-up.
2. Little Women (2019)
Adapted from the classic 1868 Louisa May Allcott book, Little Women was the first large-scale studio film Gerwig wrote and directed. The legendary story centers around Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) and her sisters Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh), and Beth (Eliza Scanlen). Jo is a talented writer with aspirations to become a professional, but the expectations hoisted upon her by the sexist society she lives in continually impede her progress. Despite their near-constant bickering and the unfortunate array of tragedies that befall their family, the sisters eventually find their footing, and Jo manages to publish a novel about their lives.
In Little Women, Gerwig proved that she is an undeniable cinematic force to be reckoned with. It marked her ability to exit the independent film track without losing the wit and emotional intelligence she developed in her early work. Many believe adapting literary classics like Little Women to be an unenviable and thankless job for a filmmaker, but Gerwig’s multiple Academy Award nominations for her efforts prove the opposite is sometimes true.
1. Ladybird (2017)
Not only is Ladybird Gerwig’s best film, but it’s also one of the best films of the 2010s. Ladybird is a coming-of-age story that follows Christine “Ladybird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) as she stumbles through her senior year of high school and prepares for college. She has a particularly turbulent relationship with her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf), who rarely sees eye to eye with Ladybird on much of anything.
Ladybird covers all the “coming of age” cinematic bases, but despite the familiarity of its subject matter, it never feels formulaic or overly derivative. Ladybird falls in and out of love, pushes away true friends in favor of vapid popularity, and butts heads with her family. But primarily, Ladybird is about the struggle to know which parts of our childhood identities are worthy of holding onto as we pass into adulthood.
Although it failed to win in any category, Ladybird secured five Academy Award nominations in 2017. The film put Gerwig on the map as one of the most promising auteurs in her age group. Thanks to its impeccable ensemble cast and hilarious script, Ladybird probably has the most replay value in Gerwig’s young filmography. The film manages to shift tonal gears at breakneck speed without ever clashing. If you haven’t seen it in a while, it’s more than worthy of a rewatch as you prepare yourself for the release of Barbie later this month.