Greta Gerwig’s Adventures in Moviegoing

From indie darling to helmer of 2023’s biggest (and pinkest) blockbuster, Greta Gerwig has blazed a unique trail by remaining true to her idiosyncratic voice—forged by a lifelong passion for literature, theater, and dance—at every step of her evolution. In this edition of Adventures in Moviegoing, the Barbie director sits down with Criterion president Peter Becker to discuss her formative love of classic MGM musicals, the first director’s filmography she ever binge-watched, and the rare movie she considers “perfect.” The films she has chosen to present reflect her interests in acting and innovative performers like Toshiro Mifune (YOJIMBO) and David Thewlis (NAKED) and in auteurs like Max Ophuls (THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE . . .) and Claire Denis (BEAU TRAVAIL) for whom camerawork is a kind of choreography.