“Lady Bird,” May 16

Thursday, May 16, 6:30 p.m.

Figge Art Museum, 225 East Second Street, Davenport IA

Lauded by the New York Times as "big-screen perfection ... exceptionally well-written, full of wordplay and lively argument," Barbie visionary and Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age masterpiece Lady Bird enjoys a May 16 screening with the Rock Island Public Library's downtown-branch Downtown Movie Club, the film a National Society of Film Critics Best Picture winner that, according to Variety, boasts "a powerfully distinctive voice."

Set in Sacramento, California, from the fall of 2002 to the following autumn, Gerwig's first solo outing as a writer/director tells the story of Catholic-high-school senior Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, paying special attention to her first loves, her attempts to fit in with the cool crowd, her attempts to forge a unique identity, and particularly, her strained relationship with her mother. The films stars Saoirse Ronan in the title role, and also features Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Lois Smith in supporting roles. Although Lady Bird has been described as "semi-autobiographical," Gerwig told IndieWire that "nothing in the movie literally happened in my life, but it has a core of truth that resonates with what I know" To prepare the cast and crew, Gerwig gave them her old high-school yearbooks, photos, and journals, as well as passages written by Joan Didion, and she took them on a tour of her Sacramento hometown.

Gerwig's dramatic comedy premiered at the 44th Telluride Film Festival in September of 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States by studio A24 two months later. Lady Bird received widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers particularly praising Gerwig's screenplay and direction and the performances of Ronan and Metcalf, and it was eventually considered by many critics as one of the best films of the 2010s. Gerwig's solo debut was chosen by the National Board of Review, the American Film Institute, and Time magazine as one of the top 10 films of 2017, and at the 90th Academy Awards, it earned five nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (for Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (for Metcalf), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. Meanwhile, on the review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 99 percent, with the Web site's critical consensus stating, "Lady Bird delivers fresh insights about the turmoil of adolescence and reveals debuting writer/director Greta Gerwig as a fully formed filmmaking talent."

Lady Bird will be presented at the Rock Island Public Library's downtown branch on May 16, admission to the 6:30 p.m. screening is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org.