Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson is a senior in high school in Sacramento in 2002. Following her life as she comes of age this film treats you to many moments of warmth, sadness and humour with stories of school that will feel believable or even close to your own experiences.

Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut film feels like it must be autobiographical but she has specifically stated in interviews that none of the events in the film actually happened to her. Regardless of this she has somehow managed in her writing to make something that feels really authentic.

Saoirse Ronan is fantastic as Lady Bird, brilliantly capturing the trials and pitfalls of being a teenager trying to find her place, falling in and out of love and having a love/hate relationship with her mother. Which brings us to Laurie Metcalf, whose performance as Lady Bird’s mother is perhaps the best in the film. Desperately wanting the best for her daughter, loving her in her own way but frustrated by her inability to guide her as she wants to.

Lady Bird is a complete joy, full of sentiment and able to make you really laugh out loud.