Through her writing and interviews, American screenwriter and director Greta Gerwig, who is well-known for her roles in movies like "Lady Bird," frequently offers insights into the human condition. In one of these, she discussed how teenagers view the world. According to her, a lot of young people believe that their lives are taking place somewhere else, out of their direct reach.
Consider a young person standing on the shore of a huge ocean, gazing out to the horizon, which is the point where the sky and water meet. The horizon appears to be teeming with opportunities and experiences that are just out of reach. This emotion is frequently more intense than it has ever been for teenagers. They might reflect on their everyday activities and question why they aren't having the spectacular experiences that seem so much more thrilling in other places.
Gerwig's observation highlights a prevalent theme in adolescence: feeling stuck while also thinking that something extraordinary is happening somewhere else. It's similar to watching someone else play a complex game from outside its boundaries; it appears exciting and fascinating, but being inside the game feels boring or even annoying.
This sentiment can be caused by a number of things, including social media, which frequently shows a carefully edited version of other people's lives, making them appear more fascinating than one's own. Realizing that life is made up of many chapters and that every individual has a different journey is another aspect of maturing and discovering one's identity.
In movies like "Lady Bird," where the protagonist traverses these emotions as she progresses through adolescence, occasionally feeling cut off from her own life while daydreaming of a world beyond it, Greta Gerwig applies this realization to her storytelling. Her art frequently emphasizes the universality of these experiences and extends an invitation to everyone to discover beauty and significance in their own journey, no matter how ordinary it may occasionally seem.