All Movies Directed by Greta Gerwig, Ranked (Including Barbie)

In 2018, Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman in history to be nominated for an Oscar for directing, and the following year, it was announced that she would write and direct Barbie.

It came as a complete surprise to many that the movie associated with an international corporation — the toy manufacturer Mattel — will be taken up by an independent indie director. But before that, the director proved that she could handle such a big project.

4. Nights and Weekends

Future star Greta Gerwig dreamed of studying drama but wasn't accepted into any program. Gerwig was not embarrassed by the difficulties — she met writer-director Joe Swanberg and collaborated with him on her first movie, which was released in 2008.

Nights and Weekends, an 80-minute melodrama about the difficulties of long-distance relationships, is a prominent example of mumblecore, a subgenre of independent films with a low budget and an emphasis on realistic dialogue. Critics gave the film an 85% Freshness rating, making Greta's debut quite a success.

3. Lady Bird

In 2017, Greta Gerwig made her full directorial debut — a movie that was made only by her.

Lady Bird, which follows a teenage girl and her difficult growing-up journey, is largely autobiographical: it was filmed in Gerwig's hometown of Sacramento, and one of the actresses is the daughter of her teacher, to whom the director was extremely grateful.

With this movie, Gerwig explores the central theme of her career: the transition between childhood and adulthood, when yesterday's children make important choices and go through personal turmoil as new young adults.

2. Little Women

Greta Gerwig's favorite book, which she read as a child, is the novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. Initially, she was only asked to write the screenplay, but the success of Lady Bird allowed Gerwig to take the director's chair.

She did not strive for a perfect adaptation of the story, which had already been told three times on screen. Instead, the director decided to approach the plot from a feminist perspective: her characters are ambitious in their quest to build a successful career.

For this reason, audiences were divided, but Gerwig's interpretation of the story certainly deserves attention.

1. Barbie

Barbie grossed a record-breaking $155 million in the US on its opening weekend and also became the highest-grossing movie ever directed by a woman. Thanks to this new film, the director finally got the recognition she deserved from millions of viewers, and the ideas and messages that appeared in her previous projects culminated here.

This is a movie that needs to be seen at least once because it's going to become an essential part of today's pop culture. Be sure to check out Greta Gerwig's Barbie in theaters if you haven't already!