Lady Bird

"I have to get out of Sacramento," groans capricious teen Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), who goes by the flamboyant moniker "Lady Bird", much to the chagrin of her mother (Laurie Metcalf). Infused with the rosy glow of nostalgia, writer/director Greta Gerwig muses on her birthplace and teenage temperament in a coming-of-age comedy that scampers through its protagonist's final year at high school. "Lady Bird" is a girl with big dreams and so-so talents but no shortage of ideas or enthusiasm. Romances play out with more than a hint of farce, yet at this nimbly directed film's core is a fractious but loving mother-daughter relationship whose ability to swing from tenderness to vitriol is enough to give you whiplash. Ronan and Metcalf inhabit these flawed characters so beautifully that you'll weep for every botched attempt at bonding and reconciliation, but leave the cinema hopeful that their love will ultimately withstand the blows. Scripted with a deft balance of laudable wit and authentic angst, this is a colourful and largely convention-defying portrait of an endearing eccentric, who - despite her protestations - holds her home town dearer than she realises.