Holiday Streams: Why Greta Gerwig's Little Women is a great Christmas movie

The March family is not an acquaintance for us. The four sisters keeping themselves and their family together has been winning our hearts since the title Little Women was introduced - be it on print or screen. It might be a bit sceptical if Little Women is tagged as a Christmas movie. But again, how could it not be, when the season is all about togetherness, and the movie, about a dysfunctional family trying to keep themselves together?

Though Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has a number of screen adaptations, Greta Gerwig's version could be hailed as the rawest and intense narrative of the March family. Especially the way the plots are ripped and stitched back on two parallel tracks, facilitates us for a deeper read of the story. It is for the same reason, the movie lightens the essence of love, charity and unity in a brighter way, making it the best holiday kickstarter.

Set in the ‘80s, the movie follows Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy (Florence Pugh), who struggle in their journey to womanhood, against the backdrop of American civil war. Though they are being brought up in a home where their identities are independent, their imagination grows and flourishes at the expense of wealth. The wealthy orphan Laurie’s (Timothee Chalamet) collide with the March clan and the love triangle between him, Jo and Amy also adds to the flavour of togetherness to the movie.

While talking about Christmas being a metaphor for the movie, there are a lot of instances where the festival’s occasion reflect many central themes of the plot. Opening to a Christmas scene, the March sisters could be seen donating their breakfast to a poor family, though they were lamenting their fate. The sisters later being rewarded by Laurie’s grandfather for their generosity has been a major act of benevolence, and Gerwig pushing this scene later to the first act has made the moment more magical.

Another major plot progression occurs during Christmas time, when their father returns home from the war. The siblings could also be seen confronting the loss of their sweetest Beth, and Gerwig shadowing both the timelines on each other has added greater meaning and impact to the situation. The themes of Christmas have always been the sisters’ style, where the celebration could be seen appearing as a metaphor during many occasions as well.

The film drops its curtains as Jo embraces her first published novel, as the printers print further copies. This gives the same feeling as someone opening their beloved gift on a holiday morning, which takes the whole emotion of the scene to the next level. Jo’s triumph will make us feel like Christmas, as there is nothing more, an ambitious creative woman can get to perfect her life than a copy of her own book.

The March clan is a whole pack of kind-heartedness, who work for the goodness of others and themselves as well. Let it be in the case of Jo or Amy, they could be seen going through everything - love, sacrifice, hard work, disappointment, standing up for themselves, and most importantly, being there for each other. The movie shines like a warm light on a cold wintry night, where the unconditional love of the March family arises as a morning star. The message they intend to give is nothing but of the powerful forces of love, hope, affection and kindness that would guide anyone. This would be the same light everyone would want to have at their houses while lighting their Christmas stars during the cold nights of December.

ALSO READ: Holiday Streams: How Vanessa Hudgens' Princess Switch uses children to promote sexism, idolize 'prince charming' 

After all, what could be more christmassy than a movie that has a flawed family trying to meet their ends while not failing to hold each other’s back?