Little Women (2019) is a beautifully emotional adaptation of the original novel by Louisa May Alcott. It was directed by Greta Gerwig (director of Lady Bird), and stars Saorise Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, and Florence Pugh. The story follows the March sisters and their neighbor, Laurie, as they navigate their everyday lives.

The strongest parts of the film is the cast. Saorise Ronan plays Jo March, a struggling author, who is “boyish,” free-spirited, and passionate. Timothée Chalamet plays Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, who is wild, kind hearted, and hopelessly in love with Jo. Laura Dern plays their mother, Florence Pugh plays Amy (the youngest), Eliza Scanlen plays Beth (the sweetest), and Emma Watson plays Meg (the oldest).

Greta Gerwig’s directing, the talented cast, costuming, and set design bring the story to life. When you watch the movie, it feels like you are standing there with the characters, sharing their emotions and experiences as the scenes go past. The movie includes the most iconic and thematically important scenes from the book, and treats every one with the care and attention that Louisa May Alcott did when she first penned them.

The movie is set up as a collection of scenes from the novel, strung together. The scenes alternate between the future and the past; the future being when the girls are adults, and the past when the girls are still teenagers/children. If you haven’t seen one of the previous Little Women adaptations, or read the book, you could get a little lost at first, but for long time fans, Gerwig’s adaptation is an original, modern take on the classic. The easiest way to tell between the two halves of the story is the lighting: with the future in darker, bluish-gray tones, and the past in lively warm gold tones.

Little Women is a refreshing, heartfelt story that brings you into the lives of these distinct and relatable characters. It brings you into their world of domestic life and teaches lessons about life and love without being too preachy. This movie, with its female director and amazing cast, would’ve made Louisa May Alcott proud.