How the ‘Lady Bird’ Characters Used Attention as a Form of Love That Can Be Easily Taken Away

Film and television analysis platform ScreenPrism, who consistently offers excellent analysis, turned their insightful eyes towards the surprising film Lady Bird, looking into the various themes that seamlessly came together to make it as good as it was. Among these themes were how the characters used their personal attention as love, which can either be overbearing or can be easily taken away. This combined with a fierce need for independence added a great deal of complexity to the film, making more than a simple “coming of age” movie.

Everything else we see in the story is also informed by this poignant observation. That love is a form of attention which isn’t always easy or pleasant. Lady Bird’s mother Marian pays non-stop attention to her and that can feel overbearing judgmental or burdensome but it’s how she loves her daughter. …The Betrayal is again
about attention. If we take our attention away from someone, we’re essentially taking our love away