The Trailer for "Little Women" (2019) Sets Its Sights on Oscar Glory

Scene from Little Women (2019)

In 2017, Greta Gerwig made a significant breakthrough in her career from the world of indie cinema to Oscar darling with the teen comedy Lady Bird. It was a touching story that also became one of A4's highest grossing movies and set the bar for future Saoirse Ronan performances as well as making Gerwig the first female Best Director nominee since 2009's Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). It raised a question as to how she would follow-up her critically acclaimed film. Well, it turned out to be the Oscar play that many would clamor for, as she's become the latest person to adapt Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" to the big screen with some of the best young actresses of the modern era. After much anticipation, the trailer is here, and there's plenty to love about the Christmas season already.

There have been few films in Oscar circles that have captured the imagination quite like Little Women. How could it not? It features Gerwig's returning to the director's chair with Ronan starring opposite her Lady Bird co-star Timothee Chalamet as well as Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, Meryl Streep, and Laura Dern. It's a star-studded period drama the likes of which aren't seen as much these days. It's also one of the more interesting turns from a small comedy that Gerwig could have gone with. The story that has appealed to women from many generations for centuries clearly inspired her to take a crack at it, and many have wondered what she would bring to the adaptation. Would she be bringing her penchant sense of humor and reviving the 19th-century narrative? 

It's why the announcement of the trailer was met with fanfare, in large part because Gerwig has joined Jordan Peele as an Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose career is now hotly predicted to be nominated every time out. More than that, Gerwig has been hailed as one of the most noteworthy female voices in film currently. She has opportunities to expand her career into more interesting directions, especially given her great work as director, writer, and actor. She seems poised to be even more influential in the decade to come, and it may start with Little Women showing a side of her that hasn't been seen before. If nothing else, it's got all of the prestige necessary for a Fall season Oscar campaign, and who isn't predicting it to at least garner up nominations for its talented cast?

Check out the trailer below:

Looks like a lot of fun. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

With a Christmas release date, it looks to be one of the biggest movies of the year. The book has garnered a lot of fans over the centuries (it recently was listed among the Top 10 in PBS' Great American Read) and it's likely to appeal to those who want some escapism from the horrors of the world. If nothing else, there's plenty of excitement in seeing Pugh and Watson up for their potential first Oscar as well as Ronan and Chalamet going up for another one. Gerwig's still early in her career despite having worked for over 10 years, and one can imagine that this is the start of a new phase where she explores women throughout history and give them her own personal spin. The question from here is if she will break the curse and become the first woman to have two Best Director nominations. 

Only time will tell if that happens, but it would be fun if this is the cultural shift that many have been anticipating for a while. More women stories deserved to not only be told but also recognized for having artistic merit. If the film is as touching and affecting as the trailer, it will do its job and become Gerwig's biggest hit. Beyond that, it's a charming enough trailer and one that has way too much promise to just go away. If nothing else, it will grow in stature as the months carry on and we see more of it. Still, the idea of a Gerwig period piece leaves a lot of great anticipation. It would be quite something if this was the film to beat this Oscar season, possibly earning Ronan a long overdue win. Whatever may be, the trailer is here and the excitement has only grown with each passing frame.