Until we can finally enjoy the fourth season of Bridgerton, there are a few films on Netflix that are perfect substitutes to bridge the long wait for the new episodes.
Bridgerton is one of the most successful series in Netflix history. Nevertheless, the streaming service is not rushing into anything when it comes to the continuation of the historical drama. Quite the opposite: there is a two-year wait between each season. This ensures that the series maintains its high production standards.
For fans eagerly awaiting the start of Bridgerton season 4, however, this also means that we won’t be returning to 19th-century London this year to hear the gossip of the ball season. So we took a look at what Netflix is offering as a streaming alternative in the meantime.
Bridgerton replacement on Netflix: Little Women by Greta Gerwig is an outstanding literary adaptation
After introducing you to two very similar love stories in a historical setting in the past few weeks with Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, we dare to cross the ocean this week and look from England to the USA, where there are also magnificent costumes and great emotions to discover. Our Bridgerton replacement of the week is the literary adaptation Little Women.
The story is based on the novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott, which was first published in 1868 and 1869 in two parts. There have been several film adaptations of the material over time. The Little Women adaptation that we want to recommend to you today is by Barbie director Greta Gerwig from 2019.
The film tells the story of the four sisters Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen), who grow up in Massachusetts during the American Civil War and could hardly be more different. The potential for conflict in the March household is obvious.
The well-read Jo meets the quick-tempered Amy, while Meg can’t wait to finally embrace a life of convention, and Beth tries to find her place between all these different fronts. And then things like love and jealousy come into play, making living together more complicated.
Little Women has at least as many feelings as Bridgerton, if not more.
Gerwig, who also wrote the screenplay, brings great enthusiasm and love for each of the four characters at the center of the film, whether they are together or fighting. Little Women finds touching coming-of-age stories embedded in the sisters’ unassuming everyday lives, all set against a backdrop of detailed production design.
As soon as you enter the world of Gerwig’s film, you understand why the original is considered such a timeless classic. The characters’ desires, dreams and longings are tangible in beautiful landscapes that look like they’ve been taken from a dreamy painting – each brushstroke a new frame.
At times, the film feels like we are following a dance composed of the dreamy 35mm images of Yorick Le Saux, the elegant editing of Nick Houy and the playful and stirring music of Alexandre Desplat, while Gerwig curiously and enthusiastically explores the possibilities of filmmaking just as Jo explores the possibilities of writing.
Admittedly, there is not quite as much gossip in Little Women as we are used to from Bridgerton. But if you are looking for a really strong movie that shows a lot of empathy for the sometimes hidden, sometimes bubbling feelings of its characters, Gerwig’s Alcott adaptation should also make you very happy.
