Greta Gerwig Tackles the Human Condition

From Lady Bird, to Jo March, to Barbie, Greta Gerwig crafts complex and distinctly human characters who mirror the intricate realities of life. Her screenplays are pure poetry, yet they never lose the authenticity of real human character and behavior. Whether working alone, with other actors, or with her husband Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig has a way of making intangible emotions come to life in fictional worlds. 

Greta Gerwig was born in 1983 in Sacramento, California. During her early childhood, Gerwig was involved in various forms of dance as well as competitive fencing. She received her high school education at an all-girls Catholic school before studying English and philosophy at Barnard College in New York City. Growing up without a television, Gerwig was forced to entertain herself with fictional books and imaginative stories. Gerwig’s Lady Bird (2017) is said to be somewhat of an autobiography, as it calls on many of these primary experiences in Gerwig’s youth. Throughout college, Gerwig explored her passion for theater and playwriting along with her college roommate Kate McKinnon. Gerwig strongly desired to pursue her love for playwriting beyond college. However, her rejection from a master’s program in filmmaking pushed Gerwig to focus on acting instead. From 2006 - 2008, Gerwig appeared in various micro-budget films written and directed by her boyfriend at the time. These “mumblecore" projects utilized a naturalistic style of acting that centered around improv rather than definitively written lines. In many of Gerwig’s later films, she uses this style of spontaneity in filmmaking by intentionally creating dialogue that sounds natural, almost as if it is improv itself. Her first break-through role in the film Greenberg (2010) launched Gerwig into a new realm of acting. This film also allowed her to return to her familiar love of screenwriting. Now, Gerwig is known for directing award winning films including Lady Bird (2017), Little Women (2019), and Barbie (2023). 

Greta Gerwig in the mumblecore production of Nights and Weekends (2008)

Greta Gerwig likens herself to somewhat of a collector: she steals emotions, experiences, and conversations from throughout her life and stores them for future use. In terms of Carl Jung’s personality types, Gerwig is more sensing than intuitive in this particular instance. She uses factual experiences and real internal emotions to craft creative pieces. Consumers of Gerwig’s content feel as if she has captured the intangible experience of living in a complex and emotional world. By using universal human experiences and thus taking a more sensing approach to filmmaking, Greta Gerwig makes her audience feel understood. 

During an interview about the making of Little Women (2019), Gerwig shares that she enjoys collaborating with the actors in her films in order to achieve a shared cinematic vision. She believes that differences in experience, skill, and personality foster new ideas and a more accurate depiction of the human condition. In The Creative Spark, Agustín Fuentes mentions that the human species began as a homogenous group in which all humans occupied a similar role. As groups of humans increased in size and migrated to different geographical areas, communities became more structured and diversified. In these new societies, humans relied on collaboration in order to function as a combined unit: each individual possessed a unique skillset and social position which the society needed. Creative thought and innovation within the society arose from these different perspectives. Whether or not she is aware, Greta Gerwig uses these primal human methods of creativity to produce innovative films. 

Greta Gerwig collaborating with Ryan Gosling on the set of Barbie (2023)

Most recently, Greta Gerwig collaborated with her husband Noah Baumbach to write the screenplay for Barbie (2023). Much of their initial process consisted of talking through themes and important scenes which they wanted to include. Then, Gerwig and Baumbach would each take individual scenes to write themselves before editing one another’s work. Gerwig claims in an interview that “writing with someone is more fun than writing alone,” and she and her husband are able to bounce ideas off one another or help the other when stuck. 

Greta Gerwig is destined to become one of the directing and screenwriting greats in our time. As she continues to collect life experiences with age, Gerwig will continue to captivate her audience with fresh yet comforting pieces. 

Sources:

https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/a30377643/greta-gerwig-february-2020/ 

https://screencraft.org/blog/screenwriting-advice-lady-bird-writer-director-greta-gerwig/ 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Greta-Gerwig 

https://www.biography.com/actors/greta-gerwig 

https://nofilmschool.com/greta-gerwig-screenwriting-process

https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/14977/greta-gerwig-mumblecore-frances-ha-damsels-in-distress