The Evolution of Greta Gerwig

In anticipation of May's Youth Screening of Frances Ha, I decided to take a look at the career of indie darling-turned-blockbuster director Greta Gerwig. My journey into the depths of the Gretalogue revealed a filmography of great variety, as I managed to watch the full oeuvre with the exception of her scarce feature debut LOL (2006, not the Miley Cyrus one) and Eden. Join me as I trace Gerwig's evolution, both in front of and behind the camera.

The story begins in 2006, Gerwig's final year of university, when she was featured in LOL by her then-boyfriend's acquaintance Joe Swanberg. Judging from the synopsis given on the film's own website and my enjoyment of Swanberg's later works, I think it would be safe to say that I didn't miss much. Around this time, Gerwig continued to work with Swanberg on Hannah Takes the Stairs and Nights and Weekends, two epitomising examples of the improvisational no-budget mumblecore sub-genre.

While Hannah does little for me, I can appreciate its significance in Gerwig's career, providing her her first starring role and allowing her to act alongside fellow up-and-coming filmmakers Andrew Bujalski and Mark Duplass. Fans of LOL, Mark and Jay Duplass would cast Gerwig in their horror-comedy Baghead, released the subsequent year. Nights and Weekends technically marked Gerwig's directorial debut, albeit a credit she shared with Swanberg. I would love to be able to describe the film as a 'hidden gem', but I think simply 'hidden' would be more appropriate – whether or not it is worthy of discovery is another conversation. 

If I seem harsh towards Gerwig's early work, that's only because I know of her potential for greatness. The Greta I know and love is first apparent in Yeast, by far my favourite of her noughties credits. While the film is similar in unrehearsed style to that of Hannah and Baghead, director and star Mary Bronstein allows Gerwig's comedic chops to fully shine through, as she plays a delightfully insufferable best friend. Gerwig has played 'the protagonist's companion / quirky friend' archetype numerous times across her career, but has never outdone Gen from Yeast. 

Gerwig's career becomes harder to define when entering the 2010s, as the actor no longer belongs to one genre or model of film. Gerwig began the decade starring as the love interest in Greenberg, her first collaboration with director Noah Baumbach, whom she would marry in 2023. 2011 was an incredibly diverse year for Gerwig, ranging from the sublime indie The Dish and the Spoon to the pleasant-enough studio rom-com No Strings Attached, to her worst film yet. I won't linger on Arthur, as I value my mental well-being, but its levels of cinematic squalor are so low that I feel responsible to suggest any prospective Gerwig completist skip it. 

From the lowest low, we finally arrive at one of the highest highs of Gerwig's career so far: Frances Ha. Credited as an actor and co-writer, Gerwig's second work with Baumbach is far better and more collaborative than Greenberg. While Frances Ha echoes Gerwig's first features with its focus on character and dialogue, it is far more polished and rewarding than any of her early mumblecore efforts. The result is a deeply satisfying experience, filled with great lines and scenes that radiate pure comfort. Gerwig's signature wit and penchant for coming-of-age stories are apparent here, creating a template of sorts for the works to follow. 

After three years and roles in Eden and the shambolic The Humbling, Gerwig struck gold with Baumbach again as an actor/co-writer/producer on Mistress America. Starring alongside actor (and underrated country singer) Lola Kirke, Gerwig has never been funnier than as Brooke Cardinas; a confusing, self-confused woman with endless aspirations and no viable way of achieving any of them. Contrasting perfectly with Kirke's relative calmness, Gerwig's character jumps off the page with an energy and speed rarely found in modern comedies. The film is a brilliant companion piece to Frances Ha, portraying the quarter-life-crisis in a more outwardly comedic manner. 

Weiner-Dog saw Gerwig play another iteration of Todd Solondz' beloved character Dawn Weiner and Jackie saw her wig up as the First Lady's personal secretary, Nancy Tuckerman. Then came along 2017, the year in which Gerwig properly debuted her writing/director talents. Amassing hundreds of awards nominations, Lady Bird highlighted Gerwig's range of skills and introduced the filmmaker to a younger audience. After voicing a teenager in Isle of Dogs, Gerwig then reinforced her directing potential in 2019 with her version of Little Women, marking her first foray into Period Drama as a writer. Gerwig succeeded, creating an instant classic and breathing new life into a story that has been adapted many times. Lady Bird and Little Women, both penned and directed solely by Gerwig, showcase the filmmaker's ability to combine comforting comedy and striking emotion, making them crowd-pleasers with high re-watchability. 

After two years of nothing thanks to Covid, Gerwig graced big and small screens alike in White Noise, Noah Baumbach's polarising end-of-the-world Netflix comedy. It took some time to adjust to, but I enjoyed the film and Gerwig's outrageous perm in it. White Noise (along with most other films) was swiftly drowned out by the roaring success of Gerwig and Baumbach's next collaboration: the screenplay of Barbie. 

While currently the farthest the filmmaker has strayed from the indie world, Barbie still features the three Gerwiggian trademarks: her comedic flair, a coming-of-age narrative and dialogue, lots of dialogue! There is little for me to say on the film itself as it has already been Think-Pieced to death, but it was a joy to see Gerwig's presence in the film's promotion and her embrace of Barbenheimer, a beautifully unforeseen phenomenon that helped contribute to Barbie's record as the highest-grossing film solely directed by a woman. 

After being catapulted to further fame, I was curious to see what would be next for the director. What exciting new ground was Gerwig going to cover? What unique passion project would she fund with her Barbie money? Well, like others, I was initially bemused and disappointed by the announcement of Gerwig's next two directorial outings: reboots of the Narnia franchise for Netflix?? However, much like Frances Halladay, Tracy Fishko and Barbie, I have grown. They aren't the Gerwig projects of my dreams, but I am going to approach them with an open mind and the belief that the filmmaker's shift towards blockbusters will lead to a lengthy and varied directing career. If it's not there already, Gerwig's bouncy, alliterative name is almost certain to join the ranks of cinema's greats.