"the wrong side of the tracks" - Lady Bird (2017)

I wanted my first post to be about a movie that I have absolutely loved, and will definitely continue to come back to it later in my life. It tells a story of young girl, who has renamed herself "Lady Bird" and insists that everyone call her by that instead of Christine. This is her act of rebellion, even though she is not sure of the reason behind it. We look at a fascinating and honest portrayal of adolescence, class anxieties, contradictory impulses and empathy.

I have often found myself in a state of yearning, a burning desire to let go of what traps me, my unexciting life. I long for an extraordinary life, far from the ordinary, the mundane. It is undoubtedly one of the battles that teenagers fight within. It is obviously more relatable for US teens than us, but I would argue that the subtle themes of the film, the anxieties, the teenage drive to assert ourselves uniquely, different from our families is a common thread that links us all.

It is often instinctive to confine our perspective, look at our own pain only. But life will teach us how to be vigilant to the struggles of others. Consider this, in adolescence we find ourselves blaming our parents for their choices and their realities, that eventually shape ours too. It is complex. And sometimes, true for our culture, our parents did not even have choice to either get married or not, to have children or not. It was a given for them. I have to remind myself to not put them on a pedestal and find perfection in their roles. It's not possible, not realistic. Lady Bird was embarrassed of her parents' humble living, calling her house to be on the wrong side of the tracks. She neglected to see that they had troubles of their, a mother, an overworked nurse, and her father, whose career faced a dead-end.

The movie ends on a positive note, where the protagonists has realised her mistakes and has learned to look at her life before college with fondness, understand the 'imperfect' love of her family.