Greta Gerwig is one of the most exciting and talented directors working at the moment. She got her start in Hollywood as an actor in the 2000s, working on small-budget indie movies such as Baghead. In this period she also co-wrote and co-directed her first movies, Hannah Takes the Stairs and Nights and Weekendsbut it would be a long time before she returned to directing as a solo force. She gained the most attention for her writing from Frances Ha in 2012, which she starred in and was directed by Noah Baumbach. Five years later, she made her directorial debut with Lady Birdwhich earned her a Best Director nomination at the Oscars and cemented her as a singular voice.
Having been working in the industry for two decades, Gerwig knows her way around cinema and its history. In an interview with IndieWireshe revealed seven of her favorite movies, and these provide an interesting insight into her preferences. These movies may have influenced her previous work and could predict where she might go next in Barbie and beyond. Here are those seven favorite movies, and what they might mean about Greta Gerwig’s filmmaking past, present, and future.
7 The King of Comedy (1982)
One of the movies mentioned by Gerwig as a favorite is Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy. It stars Robert De Niro as Rupert Pupkin, an enthusiastic but amateur comic whose desperation to succeed leads him to take desperate measures including stalking and kidnapping. The tone strikes a balance between drama and dark comedy despite its shocking narrative arc. In many ways, this movie stands in opposition to Gerwig’s work; she maintains a tone of gentle earnestness even in her sharper writing. But, the fact that The King of Comedy is one of her all-time favorites throws her work into an interesting light. There is darker work than we might expect to be informing her warm-hearted approach.
6 Brief Encounter (1945)
In contrast, the achingly romantic Brief Encounter is more in keeping with what we might expect to influence Gerwig’s work. Celia Johnson plays Laura Jesson, who meets Alec Harvey, played by Trevor Howard, at a café in a train station. Although they both recognize the spark of connection between each other, they are both married and decide they cannot betray their spouses. So, they continue to meet at the café every Tuesday but pursue nothing more. While, so far, romance has not been the main focus of Gerwig’s movies, there is always longing and loneliness present. This can be seen most clearly in Little Womenwhen Jo gives a powerful speech about her conflict between not wanting a husband but feeling lonely.
5 Red River (1948)
Red River is a classic western starring John Wayne as Thomas Dunson and Montgomery Clift as his adopted son, Matt Garth. Thomas is a cattle driver en route to Missouri, but his harsh and dictatorial approach to work leads to his workers attempting to overthrow his position, and this plot is led by Matt. The tension here centering around a father and his son is typical of Gerwig’s cinematic perspective. She has never shied away from depicting difficult or complex family relationships and having her movies hinge on this conflict over the more popular route of romance. The emphasis placed on family in both Lady Bird and Little Womenalong with this interest in Red River could mean Barbie will also examine similar themes, though in a different way.
4 Rio Bravo (1959)
Another classic western that comes up in Gerwig’s list of favorites is Rio Bravoonce again starring John Wayne. This time, he plays Sheriff John T. Chance, who is working hard to ensure a recently arrested murderer doesn’t get broken out of jail by his brother. Gerwig’s love of old westerns has shown up in some of the set pictures for Barbie in which some of the styling is influenced by this genre. This also begs the question: will she ever venture into a full-on genre movie? Her wit suggests she would be a good fit, but with a lack of action sequences in her work so far, it’s hard to tell if it would all come together.
3 Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Singin’ in the Rain is one of the most famous musicals out there. The plot follows a silent movie star, played by Gene Kelly, trying to transition into the new practice of talking pictures who falls in love with a chorus girl. It’s beloved by many, and Gerwig in particular, for a clear reason: it’s impossible to watch without a smile on your face. This joyful and colorful movie is unlike Lady Bird and Little Women which are both largely understated, but Barbieon the other hand, is just as full of life — and dancing.
2 The 39 Steps (1935)
The words “Alfred Hitchcock” and “Greta Gerwig” might not often be mentioned in the same sentence, but his movie The 39 Steps made it onto her list of favorites. It follows Robert Donat in the role of Richard Hannay, who is accused of being involved in a murder he did not commit and ends up on the run from a secret spy ring. This kind of thriller is evidently far removed from Gerwig’s preferred style of filmmaking, but just because it’s a favorite doesn’t mean it has to have an influence on her own style. She described the movie as one of the “most perfect movies ever made,” as a result of its attention to detail.
1 Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Brussels (1975)
Lastly, we have Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Brussels. This was voted Sight and Sound’s greatest film of all time in 2022, and clearly Gerwig is in agreement. This three-plus-hour epic follows the titular Jeanne Dielman (Delphine Sayrig), a housewife with a monotonous routine of chores which, eventually, is disrupted. While those outside the industry often ridicule the praise that Jeanne Dielman receives, it remains a firm favorite among cinephiles. With Gerwig’s own empathetic and in-depth portraits of womanhood, it’s unsurprising that she’s in the camp that loves it. It’s not often that so much time and care is given to someone deemed uninteresting by wider society, but Jeanne Dielman does so with incredible efficacy.
