The Dressing Room Scene in Ladybird is Not Meant to be Funny
By Romina Romani
“What if this is the best version?”
2021 cinema is shaping up to be a combination of 2017 and 2019. In October alone, films such as Dune, The French Dispatch, Last Night in Soho, and Titane are premiering, and that is only four out of over 10. Since 2017 was mentioned, let us go back to that jam-packed year filled with cinematic gems. Cue in Ladybird.
Pink hair? Catholic all-girls high school relatability? Saoirse Ronan, Lucas Hedges, and Timothee Chalamet? What is there not to love about this film? Ladybird was Greta Gerwig’s first solo-directorial debut, a coming-of-age story that follows Christine (though “Call me Ladybird like you said you would!”), on the rollercoaster known as life, navigating through high school, friendships, relationships, college decisions, rocky family dynamics, and well, life. There is at least one aspect from the film that could be relatable to someone or it can be 50 aspects, if speaking for myself.
Both a crowd and Academy-favorite, Ladybird grabbed five Oscar nominations in 2018. During the Oscars’s Best Picture nominees presentation, the last scene from Ladybird’s montage video was the dressing room scene, where Christine says a popular line. In this scene, Ladybird is going shopping with her mom, Marion, for a prom dress. There is your typical mother-daughter banter and then the conversation takes a serious turn. Ladybird finds thee dress. Her mother makes a comment about it being too pink and Ladybird is frustrated in return. Let’s analyze the dialogue:
M: What?
L: Why can’t you say I look nice?
M: I thought you didn’t care what I think.
L: I still want you to think I look good.
M: I was telling you the truth. You want me to lie?
L: No I mean, I just wish…I wished that you liked me.
M: Of course I love you
L: But do you like me?
“But do you like me?” It is inarguably expected that parents have to love their kids and when this is known to the child, as they grow up, they might utter the phrase at least once in their life, “You have to love me because you’re my mom. You have to say that because you’re my dad.” But do our parents like us? Do they truly like us as a person, not the title of their child? If we were to not be their child and meet us in a parallel world, would they like us? Marion couldn’t answer the question. In the scene, she is taken aback by the sudden question but not confused by it. She knew what her daughter was asking her and couldn’t answer. It is one of those questions we ask ourselves as we start to grow up, mature, become more aware of our surroundings and situations, and also question every little thing.
A girl’s relationship with her mother, while it could be healthy, it could also be rocky. Sometimes as daughters, we feel nothing is ever enough for our parents, specifically our moms. Mothers have the tendency to always comment on a situation, regardless how small, such as shopping for a prom dress, and give off this impression they are never satisfied with something. For example, Ladybird complains about a dress being too tight, mom responds that she should have not had the second serving of pasta. Ladybird finds the perfect dress, mom finds the smallest criticism that it’s too pink. When Marion cannot answer Ladybird’s question, the conversation hits us harder in the gut.
M: I want you to be the very best version of yourself that you can be.
L: What if this is the best version?
This was the last line of the montage video and Oscars chuckled. In return, Ladybird’s frustration became mine. There is so much being said with only one line. Ladybird was telling her mom, “This is me,” and this is all people will get. This is her best and she hopes that is enough for others, for her family, and especially, her mom. Not only does she hope her best version is enough, but also accepted and loved in return. Marion wants to say something afterwards but is at a loss of words, what her daughter said beginning to sink in. There is nothing comedic about this scene; it punches one in the gut with pain, relatability, reality, and truth.
The dressing room scene is only under three minutes yet is one of the most impactful and beautiful scenes from the movie, adding to what makes this film so special and remaining in our memories forever. Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird will remain in our memories forever and proves that A24 continues to produce and distribute cinematic gems.
