Lady Bird, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, delivers on light vignettes that weave a rich emotionally laden tapestry. She does it in a fresh elegant way, without beating you over the head with it. Christina “Lady Bird’s” (Saoirse Ronan) senior year of high school skips along at lightning speed while we witness up close a lot of landmarks: first kiss, First Love, first sex, joining and quitting clubs, cliques, friends, connecting with mentors, and going off to college. Her particular brand of confidence and vulnerability, openness and resilience, are inspiring.

It’s semi-autobiographical so thank you Greta for mining your joy and your pain to share a deeply moving film with us. We saw casts come and go, and while broken bones were healing hearts were breaking and healing too. There were sobering events and hilarious scenes. My husband and I were on a date night and we couldn’t stop laughing during one somewhat non-sequeter scene. Coach took over the drama club from Father and delivered an uproarious game plan.

Ultimately, it’s a family drama paying homage to the bittersweet complexities of the mother-daughter relationship. Just in time for the holidays!