“All those who talk about California’s hedonism have not spent Christmas in Sacramento.” Although California has always been known as a paradise of hedonism, its capital, Sacramento, is a quiet and nameless rural town. In fact, it is more conservative and boring than other places, and the Catholic culture still continues in the school. When boys and girls dance at the ball, the teacher wearing nun clothes will also emphasize: “Keep at least six feet away from the Holy Spirit.”
The film is set shortly after 9/11. The clear line of this film is that Christine, a high school girl, doesn’t like Sacramento, wants to go to New York, and wants to apply to a university in New York. In this process, Christine’s growth, mother-daughter conflict and reconciliation are important themes.
Ronan, the actor of Christine, is the actor of Joe in the 2018 version of Little Women. Interestingly, neither Christine nor Joe liked the original name and renamed themselves. Joe didn’t like his name “Josephine”, but let everyone call her “Joe” instead. Christine used quotation marks to mark the name “Lady Bird” every time she wrote her name, reflecting Christine’s desire for freedom and breaking through the limitations of her environment, just as Joe’s sister Beth described Joe in “Little Women”: “Joe, you are like a seagull.”
Christine and her mother often have conflicts, ranging from whether to clean up the room, the choice of clothes to Christine’s university choice.
“How much do we spend every day to support you…”
“Give me a number. When I make a lot of money, I’ll give you a check…”
“Then it’s hard for you to find such a successful job…”
“Why don’t you like me?”
“I really love you.”
“I hope you like me.”
But as Christine’s father said, “You both have strong personalities.” Under the stubborn coat, they can’t hide their love for each other. After Christine was cheated by her second boyfriend, Kyle, it was her mother who drove to pick her up and provided her with a shoulder to rely on. When Christine separated from her mother at the airport, her mother said “the parking fee here is too high” and refused her coldly. But on the bus, her mother was very sad and could not bear to cry.
Christine’s first boyfriend, Danny, said that Christine’s mother was “frightening”, but Christine firmly defended her mother: “She is broad-minded and gives people warmth.” Christine’s character is the same. After learning that Danny is gay, she was very hurt, but in the face of collapse and fear of being known by others, Christine gave him a hug and comfort, and let people rely on him like a man, Because in Sacramento, where the Christian culture ruled, homosexuality is not allowed. After learning that the priest suffered from mental illness due to his early son loss, Christine’s mother also kept a secret for him. Christine and her mother are like each other’s other selves. When they first drove around Sacramento, their mother and daughter seemed to blend across time and space.
Once Christine’s mother did not want to call her “Miss Bird” and said, “Actually, you are not”. However, when Christine was ready to go to college, she called her “Miss Bird” in the draft she wrote to Christine, and said, “This is a very interesting name.” After studying in college, Christine also faced her name again: “My name is Christine”, and said in the phone call to her parents, “You gave me such a wonderful name.” Christine finally achieved reconciliation with her mother, He also achieved reconciliation with himself.
Like any child who is in adolescence and has a strong self-esteem, the origin of the slum is a “scar” in Christine’s heart. Before she went to college, she didn’t even have her own mobile phone. All her party dresses were bought in second-hand stores. Christine has taken a detour in the choice of friendship and love. She was attracted by Kyle. For this reason, she worked hard to win the love of the rich girl Jenny, so that she could enter their circle. She played tricks on the nun teacher, gradually alienated from her best friend Julie, and lied that Danny’s grandmother’s house was his own
“Why do you lie?” “Because I really want to live there.”
Christine and Kyle are not really suitable. Their preferences and values are not consistent. Even her first sex with Kyle is largely based on Kyle’s lies. On the evening of the prom, Kyle drove to pick up Christine, but he didn’t want to go to the prom, and gave it a very contemptuous and disdainful attitude. This time, Christine insisted on his choice and asked him to send himself to Julie’s house.
“Who is Julie?” “She is my best friend.”
Christine and Julie are complementary partners: Christine is stubborn, loves freedom, longs to get rid of bondage, and yearns for the distance; Julie is gentle and traditional. Although Julie has talent in mathematics and excellent grades, she finally chose to stay in Sacramento to study at university. Christine finally gave up the “circle of strong integration” and chose a friend who was really suitable for her. At the dance, she and Julie, who were as good as before, were a different pair of dancing partners. Even though there was no male partner, they had each other and enjoyed the same happiness.
