Little Women (2019)
Plenty of things to like here. All performances are great, the non-linear narrative is effectful in showing events in contrast to previous events, and it feels like a more modern and progressive version of Pride & Prejudice with the women here more down to earth than the British stiff upperclass.
I did however not ever fully connect with this movie and I think it comes down to the editing choices. The dialogue flows very fast and many cuts barely lasts a second. Dramatic moments are over and done in barely a minute, leaving little room to breathe or connect to what is happening to the characters. Like Amy that burns the novel, falls through the ice, is rescued and recovered, and then on to something new in a few minutes. The last 30 minutes did seem to slow things down a lot and I really liked the more reflective tempo that gave, especially the scene where Bhaer plays the piano allowed for some emotional resonance for me that I felt was lacking until that point. I don’t think the entire movie should have been like the last 30 minutes, but some middleground would likely have made me like the movie better as a whole.
Rating: 3.5