Please do not consider this an indictment of Greta Gerwig. Rather, it is an indictment of the world that has made people act in a way that is both ugly and totally uncalled for. It just so happens that Greta Gerwig embodies that world - possibly by accident, possibly against her will.
Recently, Hachette Book Group has dropped Woody Allen's memoir titled Apropos of Nothing. Apparently, some of the staff walked out in protest against the publication, and in the end it was Arcade Publishing that agreed to release the book. Let us set aside the fact that this is an egregious act of censorship. Instead, let us think of those righteous and uber-sensitive Hachette employees. Let us try to understand what exactly they were protesting against. Because I do not believe that their arguments would survive the mildest scrutiny. Because yes, sure, we have Ronan Farrow's widely publicised testimony that Woody Allen abused his own daughter, but then what are we supposed to do with Moses Farrow's account (this is his blog) that pretty much refutes Ronan's words? And that is without even getting into the court's decision which acquitted Allen of all the charges.
But - they walked out, incensed and scandalised. They have no evidence, these lovely people, but in a world ruled by who shouts the loudest, you might as well show how principled you are. It is wherever the wind blows, really, and it just seems pathetic. Doubly so, in fact, when we are dealing with people like Greta Gerwig and Timothée Chalamet (a passable actor at best) who first play in a Woody Allen movie and then let everyone know that they donate their salary elsewhere and will never act in his films again. Gerwig, for her part, has repeatedly stated how deeply she regrets taking part in To Rome With Love. Regret why exactly, Ms Gerwig?
I find this hypocritical at best, and stories such as these are appearing everywhere these days. These days, you cannot say that you like Morrissey's new album unless you first denounce the man who recorded it (truly it has got to the point where Johnny Marr will soon have to say how sorry he is for playing guitar on The Queen is Dead). People you would think reasonable lump together Roman Polanski and Harvey Weinstein and claim Kevin Spacey can never be forgiven. In the end, you have to admire the courageous few who caution against blanket accusations and hasty judgements. If we get back to Allen's case for a second, Kate Winslet and Alec Baldwin have to be applauded for stating the obvious.
As for Greta Gerwig herself, I quite enjoyed seeing her in films like Damsels in Distress and Frances Ha (unforgettable scene), and I honestly do not mind the two films she has directed so far. Lady Bird was an enjoyable, if thoroughly unremarkable, coming-of-age drama, and last year's Little Women was a lovely, if horribly overrated, adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel. It is the stupid claims that get me, and the nagging sense that she would not have succeeded if she had not made them.
