Barbie: Empathy and humanity through the lens of Greta Gerwig

Director Greta Gerwig with Barbie star Margot Robbie.

Greta Gerwig, the visionary filmmaker, writer, actor, is one of the most celebrated storytellers of our time, with a unique ability to craft compelling narratives and evoke empathy for all the characters in her stories. Gerwig is back in cinemas in an explosion of pink, having directed and co-written Barbie (2023), starring Margot Robbie (among many others) in the titular role of the plastic doll. At first glance, Gerwig may seem like an odd choice for the crass commercialism of a movie based on a toy, but her unique ability to convey humanity in all its messiness makes her the perfect fit for this plastic expedition.

Born in Sacramento, California, in 1983, Gerwig’s background in theatre and her experiences as an actress deeply influenced her storytelling style. Her works often explore themes of self-discovery, coming-of-age, and family dynamics; all through the lens of what it means to be a woman in today’s world. Gerwig’s breakthrough film, the critically acclaimed and universally beloved Lady Bird (2017), was a semi-autobiographical account of her senior year in high school.

Greta Gerwig (in blue) directing Saorsie Ronan in 'Lady Bird' (2017).

In Lady Bird, Gerwig mined her own life to tell the story of Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson, as played by Saoirse Ronan. The film was a thoughtful, funny, and heartfelt exploration of Lady Bird’s (sometimes dramatic) quest for freedom and her fraught relationship with her mother Marion, portrayed by Laurie Metcalf (who was robbed of a much deserved Oscar for her thoroughly lived-in performance).

Gerwig unveiled her superpower to great effect in her debut, framing both Lady Bird and Marion through a deep well of empathy and understanding. We as the audience relate to Lady Bird’s quest for identity, but never lose sight of Marion’s tightrope walk of balancing her love for her daughter with the travails and insecurities of running a middle-class family. Even relatively minor characters like Father Leviatch, the priest and drama teacher played by Stephen McKinley Henderson, were imbued with dignity and glimpses of interiority in their scant screen time.

Gerwig then made her first move into the world of IP and adaptation with Little Women (2019) her revisionist take on Louis May Alcott’s oft-adapted classic novel. The film explores the lives of the March sisters — Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth — in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Each sister has her own dreams and aspirations, and plays a different role in the fabric of their sisterhood.

Gerwig deftly demonstrated her mastery of empathetic storytelling here by turning her lens on Amy March, the third sister, who has long been portrayed (in multiple adaptations) as a spoiled selfish brat. In Gerwig’s retelling, Amy (the fiercely committed Florence Pugh) became a whole person with wants and vulnerabilities, not just the reductive “one who stole her sister’s love”. Sibling rivalry and a deep desire for recognition drove this version of Amy. Gerwig’s determination to treat her characters with respect and dignity compelled the audience to reevaluate their own preconceived notions.

Director-writer Greta Gerwig (extreme left) with Amy March (Florence Pugh) Meg March (Emma Watson) and Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) on the set of Greta Gerwig's 'Little Women' (2019).

With Little Women, Gerwig displayed a shrewd understanding of iconography, showing that she could put her own spin on existing well-worn characters and get audiences to relate to them by reexamining their own biases and approaches. It was only fitting that Gerwig would next set her sights on the most emblematic (and problematic) female icon of our times, Barbara Millicent Roberts, commonly known as Barbie. Barbie presented the ultimate challenge to a filmmaker like Greta Gerwig who has an uncanny ability to get audiences relate to her characters — how to make a plastic doll relatable?

Gerwig has been slowly building up to this, her first two movies explored themes of self-discovery and fraught female relationships; and Barbie continues in the same vein. But this time it’s not just about her characters discovering who they are, but also about what they mean to everyone else around them. Barbie is the closing statement to Greta Gerwig’s trilogy of female identity — if Lady Bird was about figuring out what kind of woman to be, and Little Women was about societal expectations of women, then Barbie is the logical next step, tackling the impact that self-actualised women have on society at large.

Gerwig more than delivers with Barbie, proving that there is no one better suited to breathe life into plastic. The perfection of Barbie made her an aspirational icon but not a relatable one. Gerwig weaves her superpower again, turning Barbie from plastic into flesh and blood (or at the very least, cellulite) and masterfully willing the audience to laugh and cry as this doll learns what it means to be human.