“How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past?”

Hearing this infamous line, I instantly recall Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf), driving through the roads of Northern California. Night desolately creeps up on the once warm, sunlit horizon. They sob uncontrollably in unison listening to “The Grapes of Wrath” on tape. This is a rare moment of peace between the pair.
“Lady Bird,” directed by Greta Gerwig, tells the story of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, the strong-willed and opinionated 17-year-old daughter of a dysfunctional, lower-middle-class family living on “the wrong side of the tracks” in Sacramento, California, circa 2002. Marion is a tireless psychiatric nurse forced to work double shifts after her husband was laid off. When she isn’t fretting about Lady Bird, Marion is worrying about making ends meet. During her senior year at a Catholic high school, Lady Bird navigates self-discovery and a turbulent relationship with her mother. She deeply craves to feel admired by her peers and loved by her mother. In denial of her self-identity, she refuses to respond to any name but Lady Bird.

Although “Lady Bird” might sound like a cliché coming-of-age high school film, with its horrific boyfriends, malicious teachers, and popular girls, this film is a breathtaking and revolutionary masterpiece. As The Guardian put it, “Lady Bird” is a beautiful “love letter” to mothers and childhood hometowns. The film truly makes you appreciate what you have.

The plot has the perfect balance of drama and comedy, with unpredictable, poignant, and sentimental moments. It is a brutally candid portrait of a mother-daughter relationship. The pair can turn a destructive and argumentative battle into a beautiful and warm moment within a second.

The music flawlessly matches the early 2000s aethetic – from “Crash into Me” by Dave Matthews while driving to prom, to “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake at a classmates’ party. The music sets the scenes perfectly and sends a wave of nostalgia.

A mother-daughter relationship is one of the most vital bonds in life. As Greta Gerwig put it, “I don’t know a single teenage girl that doesn’t have the most complicated yet beautiful relationship with their mother.” This movie eerily reminded me of my relationship with my own mom. Although it feels as if she is always pestering me for no valid reason, I now know after seeing “Lady Bird” that she truly wants me to be the best version of myself. “Lady Bird” is a must-see for all mothers and daughters.