#this is actually pretty angsty but also happ

[thefirstlioveyou]

What will Mike and Will's S5 Fight Be About?

Shawn Levy basically confirme/implied another angsty Byler fight for S5.

But, what will it be about? Some think it'll be about the painting, but personally, I don't think so at all. I believe the fight will be about Mike's internalized homophobia; Mike will be afraid to romantically be with Will and it hurts Will.

First off, I don't think Mike would be mad for him hiding his feelings or lying about the painting. The sole purpose of the painting lie is to open a gate way to Mike knowing how Will feels about him. It's a set up. Why would he be mad that it was Will who thought those amazing things about him? He's in love with Will.

Now, let's see the common traits that all Byler fights have:

miscommunication, but they both want the same thing

is about their relationship

mike projecting

happens pretty early on, episodes 3-4

triggered by a shift in their relationship/mike doing something

they are alone

It's pretty predictable that S5 will focus on Mike's feelings for Will and be in Will's position this time. He's gonna be a yearning, gay mess! However, it doesn't make sense to copy every little thing as that wouldn't bring anything new to the table. It would quite frankly feel lazy and boring.

I actually believe they will be honest about how they feel episodes 3-4 (after Mike discovers the truth about the painting, what would be the shift in their relationship), and it will be a very angsty scene rather than a happily-ever-after moment (for now). Here's how I picture it: Will wants a relationship with Mike, Mike wants one too, but he's reluctant to because of the shame and bit of denial still lingering.

As understanding as one can be in this situation, it's also hurtful to hear on the receiving end. I can imagine it makes Will very upset. After so long of waiting for Mike, waiting to see if his feelings could be reciprocated, he finally gets it but doesn't get to keep it because of the shame Mike feels. Will does indeed feel like a mistake for his sexuality but, as he also states, Mike makes him feel otherwise. So, if he heard the same person that makes him feel better for who he is, say he's wrong for being the same thing he is.... that would HURT Will terribly. In Will's eyes, he will truthfully believe Mike doesn't want him, even if in Mike's POV, he wants nothing more than Will. This is where the miscommunication comes in play.

This is a real thing that happens in many Queer relationships even to today, when one is ready and the other is not yet. There is no bad guy (unless cheating, abuse, etc is involved of course) in these type of situations. You can sympathize with both sides... Which makes this a perfect fight to watch as the audience; it wouldn't make you hate either of the characters.

Some people say Mike’s accepted his sexuality by the end of S4, but I feel like if he did, it wouldn’t really be a good set up for him to be Vecna’d in S5. His struggle with who he is and his relationship with El is crucial to S5. If we keep Mike struggling with his sexuality and his trauma regarding El, this gives a purpose for him to be Vecna'd, which is the perfect way to explain a lot of his character the past seasons. Similar to how Max escaped Vecna the first time, Mike would do something similar (with the help of others, of course). He will have to accept the mistakes he's made, accept past events that were out of his control and accept who he is, or let himself die. Rather than focus so much on saving others or being needed to others, he must save himself now, for himself. He has to finally believe he is the heart. Finally confronting and accepting what he can't change will bring his character and his relationships to a full circle. It would explain his dynamic with El and Will the whole series. He will finally have the self-confidence he lost.

As much as people want Byler to have an established relationship in S5, I don't think that's likely. With a fight already implied to happen again (most likely early on), it wouldn't make much sense? They're a slow burn on top of that... The season is building up to them being together, it's not them already together (at least I don't think so).

The writers can obviously find a different route, but I feel like this would work and fit well. It would save Mike's character perfectly and it connects with the Mike being vecna'd, or at least in danger, theories; It gives it more purpose.

I just can't really imagine what else the fight would be about. It has to be about their relationship and it has to be about it changing in some way. Mike's weird behavior still needs to be explained... so I would think the fight has to be connected to the reason for that behavior. The fight would then be about his internalized homophobia. And if it is, it has to be explicitly about it, not just subtext like S3 fight.

Rather than “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” and insulting Will, Mike straight up will have to be like, “I’m scared, what if this is wrong? I don’t know how to do this.” “This isn’t right.” This time Mike will be direct how he feels about HIMSELF, but Will would still be hurt because this is the same guy that made him feel better for being Gay…

If this is how the fight plays out, lord hold me because I won’t survive it😭😭😭

[lebrookestore]

what is love? an excerpt from Favorite Crime

note: this is a scene directly out of the fic itself, so some lines are written with context to that, but otherwise this is exactly my perception of love. fun fact, in the story, ‘y/n’ doesn’t know where to start or what she’s exactly writing or what love means exactly, which was and is how i feel towards the subject! and thus i was literally in y/ns shoes while writing this. also!! in response to my love anon<3

Love is confusing.

And even now as I write this piece, I’m not quite sure what it is. In fact, when I started writing it, I was met with a blank document and no idea of what I should put down. Google said love was a feeling of intense affection or admiration.  Urban dictionary said it was the most powerful emotion.

And no matter how much research I tried to do, no matter what I read, I was always left where I started, with that blank document and still at square one.

So I asked one of my closest friends, someone who was like a sister to me. She told me that it was amazing, that it’s comforting. And when I decided to pen that down, she stopped me, telling me that it was just her view.

So then I asked a lot of people. I got varied answers, some said it was the most wonderful thing in the world, that it was comforting knowing it existed. Some hated it with a burning passion because they had been hurt before. They said love is always meant to end and that’s why it was painful, and yet, even with all these different opinions, I was still lost.

It wasn’t my perception.

But I think google is wrong, see there is a difference between love and admiration. Love and Infatuation are two very different things, and I’ve seen and felt both.

Falling in love is scary for most, but for me, it was easy. I think everyone could see it, simply because the person I fell in love with was so lovable. They were perfect in my eyes and I think that’s where I’ll start.

Love is a strong feeling in your chest, it makes your thoughts go haphazard until all you can think of is that one person. No matter what they do, it’s like they’re always glowing, they’re always perfect and beautiful and you’d do anything for them.

But then there is infatuation, the thought of loving someone. What would it be like? In that case you can also see a person as perfect, but it only lasts until that idea is gone. Until it fades away and you realize you weren’t in love with them, but rather the idea of them.

Maybe Infatuation is a type of love, but it’s much more explosive. It’s short lived and in the end it hurts because you realize they don’t love you for real.

When I fell in love, it started out as a crush and then it only grew. And even if it’s all over, I know I’d go running back to him. I’d give up everything to call him mine if I could. That’s the thing about love, isn’t it? It is indeed a powerful emotion and it could ruin you if you let it.

Google defined infatuation as an intense but short lived passion or admiration for someone or something. I agree with this one, because when I fell in love it was short, because the person who loved me back was just infatuated.

And that hurt when I put the pieces together and found out. It hurts because you could love someone with all your heart and in the end it’s all fruitless. In the end love ended up breaking my heart.

Love is terrifying, but I think that’s the point. Sometimes you can mistake infatuation for love and I think that’s why they say love is blind. You never know what it is until it’s too late. You can’t love without hurting.

Love is painful, it’s agonizing and sometimes it feels like someone has ripped your heart out of your chest and trampled all over it. It gives you that high that people chase after and it probably isn’t worth the pain you feel after you come crashing back down, but we chase after it anyways.

I know I did.

Trusting someone with your heart is a scary prospect. They can break it, and you can be left with trying to pick up the pieces.

But that’s heartbreak, and while I know exactly how that feels, I’m talking about love. That’s what my article is supposed to be about. Love, to me, is stored in moments. Little things you do with that special person.

Little things like grocery shopping, and spending time together.  Taking care of each other, always being there for the other person. When you choose them above everyone else. I think that’s love, it’s not as grand, and hell if it’s true, but it’s there.

It’s being able to tell the other person anything in the world, being able to be completely honest without any fears because you know they’ll accept you. When you don’t have to act like someone else, you can just be yourself, imperfections and all.

When you can understand each other without having to say anything, it’s just the silence that carries the conversation. When you don’t know how to put your feelings into words and so they construct your sentences for you.

It isn’t telling the person you love them everyday, but rather the little things you do for them, and those they do for you.

It’s being selfish in a way, you’d do anything to keep them, I know I would. It’s beautiful but painful at the same time, and that begs the question: how can something so beautiful be so tragic at the same time? It doesn’t make sense, and frankly, I’m figuring that one out for myself.

Some say it’s an illusion, some think of it as this final destination, but I don’t think that’s true. I think we find love everyday, I think it can be a burst of affection, it’s a mixture of lust, attraction, commitment and dare I say, ironically so, infatuation. It comes about when you least expect it, creeping up onto your heart and you don’t know you’ve fallen until you can’t get up.

It’s rarely something you find at the end, it’s never a reward for everything you’ve been through. You can lose it before you have it. It can be short lived, believe me, I know. We barely lasted a year but god.

Those few months, those taught me what love truly felt like. And hey, maybe it’s a warped version of it, maybe I’m completely wrong, but this is my perception of love.

Then again, I’ve only ever been in love with one person.

[kpop-muses]

Frustration (A/F) - Min Yoongi

Y/N: This is an original idea because I’m angsty and lonely lol. Also, I need more Min Yoongi in my life. And I’m Yoonseok trash. Please enjoy -Admin Grace

Summary: Yoongi invites you to his studio for the first time, but you make a mistake and he snaps at you. It takes Hoseok sitting him down and talking some sense into him to make him realize just how much you matter to him before he goes to apologize.

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort

Length: 2.4k+

From your place on the heavily cushioned black couch, you watched your boyfriend Yoongi work, fluttering around his workspace in his rolling chair. He’d play a few notes on his keyboard, jot them down in one of his many music notebooks, try the keys again, maybe changing it up a bit, then hit record to capture the tiny piece of music that may or may not find its way into a hit song. You imagined the way you felt was similar to how someone might feel watching an artist painting a beautiful scene upon a fresh canvas. It was exhilarating in a strange way to watch music be made, especially because you knew how much of himself Yoongi put into his music.

He had been working for a few hours, only noting your presence every once in awhile with a small smile your way or asking you grab him this or that. You didn’t mind it one bit, happy to be helping him in a way in which he had helped you countless times when he would come over to your apartment to help you study. Yoongi was always helping you organize and color-code your notes, bookmark specific places in your textbook, talk through certain topics as you wrote essays fueled by numerous cups of coffee, which Yoongi also helped supply. One of your favorite parts of your relationship with Yoongi was how equally give-and-take it was: and this was another way for you to give.

“Want something to drink?” You spoke up, already sliding the textbook you had been reading off your lap. He muttered a response, too immersed in his music to fully hear what you had said. However, you knew he would certainly be thirsty and that we would probably get so caught up in his work that he would forget to eat or drink. At least this way you could actually make him do so, rather than texting him to tell him to eat and drink something every hour when he told you that we would be in the studio all night.

Jumping up from your seat, you left the studio room and made your way to the small kitchen in the building. You pulled down a clean mug from the cabinet and filled it with water, deciding it would be healthier than adding to the extreme amounts of coffee he had pretty much inhaled throughout the evening.

A smile was on your face as you walked quietly back to the studio, happy that Yoongi had finally let you visit his studio. You knew he was sharing a lot of himself by doing so, and that it wasn’t any small thing for him to let you visit. He trusted you enough to let you into his heart in this new and exciting way, and you couldn’t be happier. Yoongi didn’t often voice his true emotions, except through song, and this action, despite how small it might seem, said a lot.

You made sure not to make too much noise when you opened the door and let yourself in. Yoongi didn’t even glance back at the sound of the door clicking shut, probably to immerse to have realized that you had left and come back.

Carefully you crossed the small space and went to place the glass of water on a clear spot on his large corner desk. Just as the ceramic mug was about to come in contact with the sleek black table, Yoongi jumped in his seat beside you, surprised by your sudden closeness.

Reflexively you jumped as well, and in an instant a quarter of the water that had been in the cup was washing across the notebook he had been writing in, smudging the black ink until it was unintelligible.

“Y/N!” Yoongi nearly shouted, pushing himself away from the desk before water would get on him as well. He was frantically trying to wipe the excess water from the page, however it only made its state worse and covered his hand in ink. “You ruined my notebook!”

“I-I’m sorry, Yoongi, I was just-”

“Just what?!” He stared up at you angrily, his eyes flashing. You shrank under his gaze, guilt twisting your stomach. You glanced at the mess you had made, the spilled water threatening to touch any one of the expensive pieces of technology littering his desk.

“I was just getting you a drink,” You replied quietly, “Here, let me help-”

“Stop! Y/N, just-” Yoongi grumbled, swatting your hands away from where you were trying to help, “Just leave!”

You froze in your place, watching as he grabbed a nearby sweatshirt and starting drying his desk.

“Yoongi, I’m sorry-”

“Just. Leave”

He didn’t turn around again, ignoring you as you stood like a statue, your stomach twisting and turning. You hoped he would stop what he was doing and take back his words, but he didn’t. He just kept soaking up the water with the probably ruined fabric, leaving the air painfully silent. At least, it was painful to you.

Suddenly you set the cup of water down on the ground beside the couch, piled your textbook, notes, and purse into your arms, and flew out the door, all in a matter of moments. You didn’t even pause to put on a jacket to keep the crisp fall air from scratching at your skin. You walked quickly to your car, jumped in the driver’s seat, threw your stuff onto the passenger seat, and left.

The ride to your apartment was long, but by the time you arrived home your throat was raw and your face was red from trying to swipe away the tears that threatened to fall. You knew it was your fault. You knew that you ruined some of his music, some of what means the most to him. You also knew that he didn’t have to be so rude to you and could’ve let you help clean up, but that wasn’t any consolation.

The tears finally fell once you got inside your apartment. You stood numbly in your living room, guilt knotting your stomach, your face wet with saltwater, and hoped he would forgive you.

The BTS guys figured something was wrong when Yoongi returned to the dorm at a reasonable hour, when they had expected him not to return until the next morning. They wanted to be happy and hope that he had come back early to eat a proper meal and get a good night’s sleep, but after one glance at his expression, they knew something was wrong.

“Hyung?” Jungkook asked, eyebrows frowning as he paused his video game when Yoongi stomped through the living room and past the television towards his room.

“Yoongi, what happ-”

The slam of Yoongi’s bedroom door cut off Jin’s question. The six men glanced between each other, all asking the silent question of what happened and who should go check on him.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Hoseok said, standing from his spot on the couch and making his way down the hall to see to one of his best friends.

Surprisingly, the door wasn’t locked, so Hoseok let himself. Yoongi muttered something about how no one ever knocks, but Hoseok didn’t pay any mind to it as he sat down beside Yoongi on his bed.

For a moment Hoseok watched as his older friend aggressively untied his shoes, hands fumbling as he struggled with the simple task. Something must be really wrong.

“What happened, Yoongi-hyung?” Hoseok asked softly.

“Nothing.” Yoongi grumbled, finally yanking off one of his shoes.

“Don’t lie to me, hyung. I know something’s wrong. Please talk to me about it.”

Any other day, with any other topic, it probably would have taken much longer for Yoongi’s resolve to break down. But this was about you. You, his best friend, the girl he loved, the girl who made him smile every day with her mere existence, even if he would be hard pressed to admit it out loud. And with Hoseok’s gentle voice asking him what was wrong, and the thought of where you were and what you were thinking in that moment, Yoongi spoke.

“I invited Y/N to come to the studio.”

“That’s great,” Hoseok smiled a bit, knowing that this was a big step for Yoongi, but even more worried about what had happened.

“She spilled water all over my desk and on one of my notebooks and it ruined a bunch of progress I had made on this song,” Yoongi said, rubbing his hands roughly against his face in frustration.

“Oh. I see,” Hobi said, reaching over to rub relaxing circles over his friend’s back. “But you know she didn’t mean to. Y/N knows how much your music means to you.”

“I know, I know. I’m not really mad at her anymore, I know it was an accident.”

“Then why are you still so angry?”

“I’m angry at myself,” Yoongi burst, finally looking up at Hoseok, who saw the glassiness in his hyung’s eyes, “I snapped at her. I didn’t mean to, but she ruined my work, and I was frustrated and I told her to leave, and-”

“Wait,” Hoseok froze, “You told her to leave?”

“Yeah…” Yoongi said, not liking the tone of his friend’s voice.

“And she left?”

“Yeah, she just grabbed her stuff and left.”

It was Hoseok’s turned to let out a small frustrated groan.

“Hyung, why did you do that!”

“It wasn’t my fault! She just put a glass of water down on my desk without a warning and I-”

“Yoongi.”

He froze and looked Hoseok straight in the eyes, knowing that if his constantly cheery friend had such a serious expression, he should listen.

“I understand that it was a heat of the moment thing and you didn’t mean to snap at her, but you shouldn’t have told her to leave and you sure as hell shouldn’t have let her listen to you.”

“I know, Hoseok, I-”

“Sh. Just listen. Yoongi, we both know she didn’t mean to do it, and we both know that she’s very sorry. But you have to understand how this must feel for her too. Sure, you lost a little bit of music, but I know Y/N and I’m sure that right now she’s feeling ten times as guilty for what happened than you’re feeling disappointed at the loss. And imagine how you would feel if she actually did leave, for good.”

Hoseok paused for a moment, letting Yoongi sit in the silence for just a second. Hoseok’s last few words turned over in Yoongi’s mind, knotting his stomach as the realization dawned on him, how it must have sounded to you when he angrily told you to leave. His friend was right- he would be heartbroken if you ever really left.

“Now, before either of you get hurt any more, get the hell over your pride and go apologize. Manager-hyung still thinks you’re at the studio, so he won’t know if you’re with her instead.”

Without hesitation, Yoongi threw his shoes back on, not even stopping to tie the laces.

“Thank you Hoseok,” He said, looking his friend in the eyes. Yoongi would forever be grateful to have Hoseok in his life. He didn’t even complain when his younger friend pulled him in for a hug before letting him go and telling him to hurry.

Yoongi didn’t shout a goodbye as he raced out the door, surprising the five confused guys who had never seen their lazy friend move so fast.

You were sitting quietly on your living room couch with a cup of hot tea in your hands when loud knocking on your front door pulled you from your reverie. You could feel that your eyes were still red and puffy, but you didn’t really care as you set down the warm mug and made your way to the door.

You swung it open to find your boyfriend standing there, his hair a mess and his eyes pleading.

“Yoongi, what-”

“I’m sorry,” He said quietly.

You opened the door wider to let him in and he walked past you, only to turn back around to look you in the eyes.

“Yoongi, I’m the one that should be sorry.”

“No. I am. Y/N, I-” Yoongi paused, not sure how to articulate how he was feeling. He was always so frustrated with how he could use music to voice his emotions but rarely his words, and rarely when he needed to most.

Yoongi reached out and wrapped his arms gently around your waist, pulling you closer to him before he finished speaking.

“I’m sorry, Y/N I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I know that you were only trying to help and you didn’t mean to spill water on my notes.”

“But I did, and I ruined some of your music,” You interrupted him, you throat starting to get choked up in anger at yourself. “I know how much your music and your lyrics mean to you and I’m so so sorry that I messed them up like I mess everything up-”

“Shh, shh,” Yoongi murmured, calming you down. “You don’t mess up anything. It was an accident, and accidents happen.”

Yoongi’s heart clenched when he looked down and saw the tears in your eyes, threatening to spill over. He hated that he was the reason for your tears.

“I’m sorry that I told you to leave,” Yoongi began, subconsciously tightening his arms around your waist, “I was just mad and frustrated, but I didn’t mean any of it. And sure, a page or two of my lyrics are gone, but without you most of them wouldn’t be written anyway. You’re my inspiration, Y/N. You’re one of the reasons I work so hard. So many of the words I write are because I love you, and the only way I know how to express that it through my music. I know I don’t say it nearly enough, but I love you. I love you with all my heart. If you were ever to really leave, I don’t know what I would do with myself. I’m so, so sorry.”

You stared up at him, at his expression filled with love and apologies and so many other emotions that you couldn’t name.

“I’m not going anywhere, silly,” You replied, wiping at a tear that had spilled from Yoongi’s eye onto his cheek. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Yoongi choked out a small laugh and pulled you into his chest. He buried his face in your neck, squeezing you tighter.

“Promise me you won’t leave, even though I’m dumb and I have a temper and I don’t deserve all of your patience?”

“I promise,” You chuckled, “I promise.”

[chrismaverickdotcom]

A Quirky and Angsty Lady Bird Review

I am a quirky and angsty teenage white girl. OK… I mean… I’m not. I’m a middle aged black man. But sometimes I’m not sure. I like millennial pop music. I like YA fiction. I love me some CW TV shows (and yes, I maybe have a teeny bit of a schoolgirl crush on Stephen Amell, but have you seen him do the salmon ladder? Who doesn’t? I also can’t wait for the 100 to come back. And are you caught up on Riverdale? Because OMG!). I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m totally a dude… but my favorite movie of last year was probably The Edge of Seventeen, the story of a quirky and angsty teenaged white girl dealing with first world problems as she sat on the cusp of adulthood. I gave it 4.25 out of 5 stars. In retrospect, I maybe even owed it another quarter star. I just found it so relatable and perfect. It spoke to me. And you know, maybe I’d think it was an outlier. Maybe that was just a one-time thing. Except that this year my favorite movie (and it’s been a good year for movies, especially low to middle budget ones) is probably Lady Bird, the story of a quirky and angsty teenage white girl dealing with first world problems. Why do I relate to these movies so much?

Seriously… I’m starting to question things about myself.

Maybe it’s just that they’re good. Lady Bird certainly was. In fact, it was nigh perfect.

Perhaps we are entering something of a renaissance for the female bildungsroman film. That’s what these are. When I reviewed The Edge of Seventeen I noted that I couldn’t really write the review without spoilers, but that was ok because the entire plot of the film was largely given away by the trailer. It was the story of a quirky and angsty teenage girl who suddenly discovered that her quirky and angsty best friend was fucking her older brother. She then deals with it with a succession of completely predictable quirky angst. #WhiteGirlProblems, amirite? Up top! Hello? Anyone? Huh… I really was expecting a high five there. Which maybe would have worked better if there was anyone else in the room as I am typing the review. Oh well.

That said, as predictable as it might have been, that movie worked on every level because it really wasn’t about the plot. It was about the character development as you got there. It was enjoyable on almost every level. It was good because it wasn’t about where the story was going, it was about watching the story get there.

Lady Bird goes a different way. I can’t really spoil the plot because… well, it’s kind of hard to say what the plot is. Seriously. Just watch the trailer:

There’s not really a plot… per se. Lady Bird is a quirky and angsty teenage girl who hates her overbearing mother. That’s it. Seriously. That’s the gist of the story. And it’s not really even a story. It’s more of a character trait. And it’s amazing.

It’s paced very much like a novel. As I said, it’s a bildungsroman. It’s not so much about the specific things she does, so much as the experience of growing up. She has to learn to deal with changing relationships, jobs, applying to college, sex, family, politics, religion… all while trying to actually learn what it is to be an adult. It is about the weird point in life where she is trying to navigate who she is as a person.. figure out who that person is. And it all feels very real and organic.

The hook with Edge of Seventeen is that even though the main character, Nadine, seems like a lovely and bright girl, she’s really kind of an asshole inside. She’s mean and complex. Here, Lady Bird, played by Saoirse Ronan, is almost the exact opposite. She’s unremarkable. She’s an outcast. She’s a loser. She makes the worst first impressions. She’s not initially likable at all. At the end of the day, all of the issues that she encounters are mundane. They are completely ordinary things that we all go through. But the struggles seem real. The key to the film is learning that she has a wealth of emotional experiences going on inside. She’s a very three-dimensional and tangible. The problems may be insignificant in the grand scheme of the world (and Lady Bird knows this) but Ronan plays each scene like every complication is world ending, because to Lady Bird, they are. These are the biggest problems in her very small world. You certainly won’t aspire to be her… it’s more that you will fear that you are her. And that makes you root for her to be ok. For every flaw she has, she is the very definition of strong female character. Her complexities make her real. There’s a reason Ronan has two Oscar nominations and it feels like she is eyeing her third.

The supporting cast is equally strong. Laurie Metcalf is especially strong here as Lady Bird’s mother, Marion, and if Metcalf doesn’t get a Supporting Actress nomination for this film then something is very wrong with the world. Like Lady Bird, she is very unlikable in many ways. In fact, the trailer basically tells you that it’s her defining characteristic. But the success of the movie hinges on the character. You need to believe that although Lady Bird and Marion don’t really like each other that much, they do love each other. And the climax of the film depends on Metcalf getting that across throughout the earlier stages without having it feel forced. She nails it.

And from that comes humor. I’m oddly hesitant to call this a comedy. At least not in the same way that Edge of Seventeen was. It’s not farcical. Nothing contrived happens. The humor comes from its realism. It is funny simply because at the end of the day life is funny. You want to laugh simply to get through the awkwardness… to cut through the angst. The very familiar quirky angst that Nadine had in the other movie. The source is different. In fact, I’m fairly certain that Nadine and Lady Bird would probably hate each other (and now I kind of want to see that movie). But they have the same insecurities deep down. Not that they would have seen it in each other. And both films sort of show us that we all do. Quirky and angsty teenage white girls like Nadine, Lady Bird, and myself… and YOU. Because you are a quirky and angsty teenaged white girl too. You just don’t realize it. You’re too busy wrapped up in the drama of your own life to notice where you fit in with the rest of the world and to notice that everyone else is going through their own quirks and angsts at the same time.

Writer and director Greta Gerwig surrounds Lady Bird with supporting characters that are just as complex as she is. Rather than simply being window dressing to flesh out and facilitate Lady Bird’s life, they all seem to have their own stories going on. We are not privy to all of the details, but their lives seem to progress while they are off screen. When we do get a glimpse into their lives we see that they have unique problems of their own, some big and some small. Since it is not their story, we often don’t see the resolution. Just like real life. Even the most minor characters are delightful, especially Father Walther played by Bob Stephenson. He probably has about 60 seconds of screen time but he may be the highlight of the film.

However, perhaps the oddest thing about the movie is its time setting. It takes place over Lady Bird’s senior year from fall 2002 to spring 2003. There’s not really a good reason for this. Fifteen years ago doesn’t seem quite long enough to be “nostalgic.” After all, we’re currently in the midst of 1980s nostalgia right now. 2000s nostalgia shouldn’t be for another fifteen years. But perhaps that’s what Gerwig is showing us here. She’s ahead of the curve. One day all movies will be like Lady Bird.

That day can’t come soon enough.

★★★★¾(4.75 out of 5 stars)

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A Quirky and Angsty Lady Bird Review was originally published on ChrisMaverick dotcom