greta gerwig brings contemporary relevance to the classic novel set in the civil war, while preservingpirit at its core. saoirse ronan isjo march, one of the four sisters. the film introduces us tojo as an adult who's living in new york and struggling to make a living as a writer before it takes us back to her adolescent years when she's bickering and bonding with her siblings. emma watson plays the eldest, meg. eliza scanlon is piano—playing beth. florence pugh is the impetuous amy. laura dern is the mother, marnie. i will do the same, then. i hope you'll do a great deal better than me. gerwig's twist to fiddle with the timeline is bold. if you have not read the book, the structure can be confusing. the film jumps back and forth and it also takes us to amy's time in paris, with meryl streep as the withering aunt. current heart—throb timothy chalomet is cast as laurie and he perfectly captures the sincerity and spark the childhood friend. the film reveals some of the story's twists at the start and focuses on the characters. saoirse ronan's jo is complex and believable. she is funny an