A Mom’s Review of “Lady Bird”

“Lady Bird” examines the mother-daughter relationship and the difficulties of letting go

By: Avery Wageman

“Lady Bird” is a film that centers around a teen girl’s senior year of high school, navigating dating and friendships, and performing in the school musical. Though the film’s focus is Lady Bird’s coming of age story, one of the most powerful aspects of the film is the depiction of her relationship with her mother, Marion. 

“Lady Bird” captures how difficult it is to watch our kids grow up and become defiant of who we want them to be or who we think they are. This film encourages us to ask the question: When do we have to let go and accept that our children are growing into their own independent beings?

It’s obvious how Marion struggles to accept that Lady Bird has grown up and is moving on with her own life, her own journey. This concludes the film with another question of whether Marion will allow the fear and anger she has directed towards her daughter to impair their relationship.

While the film portrays an honest relationship between mother and young-adult daughter, it must be understood that Marion is emotionally abusive to Lady Bird despite acknowledging the abuse she suffered from her mother. In this sense, “Lady Bird” touches on the cycles of trauma that manifest in some families. Though everyone will not be able to relate to Lady Bird and Marion’s mother-daughter relationship, I think an important takeaway for any mother or parent is acknowledging when we project our own insecurities.