Little Women’s Role in the Oscar Representation Debate

“Little Women” deserves more praise than it is getting this awards season.

The premise of “Little Women” is relatively simple. It is a story about four sisters growing up during the 1800s.

A coming-of-age story set two centuries in the past might come off as not having a lot of relevance to today’s youth. However, by the end of the movie, the exact opposite is true.

“Little Women” deals with issues that still ring true since it was released in 1868. Growing up without a father figure, the death of a loved one, first-love and subsequently the heartbreak that comes with it.

The movie takes the story and tells it in a very nontraditional way. The story jumps to the future sporadically without telling the viewer and reveals plot points that happen in the past. This allows the viewer to truly enjoy the moments the characters have together, as we know eventually they will be separated.

This brings me to the awards season. As you may already know, the Academy Awards are under a lot of scrutiny for their lack of representation in this year’s nominees for categories like directing, film editing, original score, actor and actress awards. The nominees are predominately: white men.

This clear lack of representation in the industry has sparked many debates online and even among the filmmakers and actors themselves.

Joaquin Phoenix recently received the BAFTA award for Leading Actor for his role as Arthur Fleck/The Joker in the movie “Joker.”

In his speech, Phoenix directly calls out the lack of representation in the nominees.

“I think we send a very clear message to people of color that you are not welcome here,” Phoenix said in his acceptance speech. “I think that’s the message that we’re sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium.”

Phoenix went on to state the importance of representation in the industry.

“We have to do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism,” Phoenix said. “I think that it is the obligation of the people that have created and benefit from a system of oppression to dismantle it.”

Where does “Little Women” fit into this narrative about the lack of representation?

“Little Women” was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, however, the director, Greta Gerwig was not nominated for a directing award.

This came as a shock to many, including myself. Insiders in the film industry expected Gerwig to get nominated for a directing award. So when it did not come, many, including the film’s actresses and actors were confused.

Florence Pugh, the actress who plays Amy in Gerwig’s retelling of the classic story, was particularly upset.

“She’s literally made a film about this,” Pugh told Entertainment Weekly. “She made a film about women working and their relationship with money and their relationship with working in a man’s world. This only underlines how important it is – because it is happening.”

“Little Women” deals with the main character Jo March, played by Saoirse Ronan, navigating being a writer in a predominately male-dominated industry. Jo is told that if she writes a story about a woman, she has to be married by the end.

The movie explores the four sisters’ stories and their relationship with their male counterparts.

Amy gives an impassioned speech about how men may not view marriage as an “economic proposition,” but it certainly is for women.

Meg deals with loving a man who does not make enough money to support the lavish lifestyle that she has always wanted.

Jo, who is the protagonist of the story, comes to terms with her place as a writer, an industry where her stories are not particularly welcome.

This representation of women and their relationship to a male-dominated society is still ever-important to today’s current treatment of minorities.

“Little Women” is still an important story for audiences to hear and appreciate. This lack of acknowledgment for female-driven narratives will hopefully not deter any female filmmakers from making their voices heard.