Louisa May Alcott based Jo on herself-and Little Women on her own life.Īlcott wrote Little Women during a 10-week spree, drawing almost entirely from her life growing up with three sisters in Concord, MA. Gerwig weaves flashbacks with present-day moments, a reflection on the way every interaction with loved ones is charged with history. Instead of proceeding linearly like most adaptations, the action kicks off when the March sisters-Meg ( Emma Watson), Jo ( Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy ( Florence Pugh)-are already young women. More than a faithful retelling of Alcott’s novel, Gerwig’s soaring, Oscar-nominated movie is faithful to Alcott’s life-and her legacy as a woman ahead of her time.įrom the very first scene, Gerwig’s Little Women breaks with precedent. Yet the latest film adaptation of Little Women, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, stands apart from the multiple movies, mini-series, and plays that came before it. Since its publication in 1868, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has been adapted countless times. Little Women was nominated for six Oscars in 2020, including Best Picture.

“I wanted to give Louisa May Alcott an ending she might have liked,' Gerwig explained to.Gerwig significantly changed the book's original ending-and *spoiler alert* told us why in an interview.Little Women, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, hit theaters on December 25.

Which little women character are you