Saoirse Ronan shot Lady Bird without makeup

In the Dartmouth Film Society, members have had some rather fierce debates as to the merits of Gerwig’s nomination for Best Director.

This is why I preferred the performance of Laurie Metcalf as Marion, Lady Bird’s loving but exasperated mother.

The solo directing debut of actor Greta Gerwig (Francis Ha, 20th Century Women), it takes a well-worn staple – the coming-of-age story – and makes it shiny and new, with warmth, wit, generosity of spirit and a fresh eye for detail.

This is a classic American coming-of-age film about a young girl named Christine who insists on being called Lady Bird for the sake of her own individuality. At a time when a teenager’s quests in life are usually encouraged by their family, Lady Bird gets a daily dose of reality tossed in her face.

Gerwig said she loved her Catholic school experience, especially the teachers, both religious and lay people, who showed such care for their students.

Greta Gerwig has taken over Hollywood recently with her Oscar-nominated film Lady Bird, and the good news is, she’s not stopping there. Lady Bird is not a character: Lady Bird is a self-portrait, Lady Bird is me, Lady Bird is every daughter of every mother.

According to prognosticators on awards site Gold Derby, Lady Bird isn’t a front-runner in any of those categories. I feel like I have the privilege of being from a place, and I’m really from that place. One worrisome omission: no Best Film Editing nom, an Oscar bellwether that could clip Lady Bird’s wings come Sunday.

Instead of comparing Lady Bird to other Oscar nominees or speculating on its chances, I’ll end by recommending a film from a year ago it reminded me of. “There were priests and nuns who were just compassionate and amusing and empathetic and thoughtful, and they really engaged with the students as people, not figureheads”, Gerwig said in an interview with Religion News Service. Moments later, they are in a full-out argument about college and Lady Bird’s intelligence.

The film revolves around Christine McPherson – a young teenage girl in the previous year of high school. Its rewatch value is also fairly dependent on how willing you are to put up with these characters; sometimes they feel too real, and watching them can become painfully uncomfortable.

The film navigates the angst, aspirations and liberating joy of youth expertly and evocatively, as it documents the life of a 17-year-old student (Irish actress Saorise Ronan, incandescent). Her first being 2008’s low budget, romantic drama “Nights and Weekends” which tells the story of a couple’s struggle with a long-distance relationship.