Little Women (2019) tried very hard to downplay Jo/Friedrich but the scenes we did get were still so good!!
I love the way the movie showed Jo and Friedrich watching each other longingly when the other isnât looking. Friedrich looking at Jo in the opera and smiling to himself when he notices her enthusiasm. He later gifts her with a book, showing that he does pay attention and cares about her interests (and what bigger proof of love is there?). And later, Friedrich watching as Jo rushes off to teach Mrs. Kirkeâs children with complete adoration in his eyes.
Jo watching Friedrich almost reverently when he exists the opera. Her smile when she again observes him at the bar, where he is framed in the center of the room, surrounded by other men. In that moment alone, he is everything to her, beautiful and radiant.
Their first meeting plays out like a classic love-at-first-sight scene. The way they smile at each other, Joâs flustered introduction, the way they hover at the doorway and canât seem to tear their gaze from one another even after theyâve been interrupted by Mrs. Kirke and Jo is led away.
The huge smile on Joâs face when she sees Friedrich at her home. âItâs you.â She says it like a revelation, like sheâs just discovered something that perhaps, deep down, sheâd always known all along.Â
Friedrich plays Bethâs piano and Jo watches him, grief and love intertwined. He fits so seamlessly into her family, that it seems as if he was always meant to be there. And in that moment, she knows that Beth wouldâve loved him, too.Â
The way Jo stands back, widest smile on her face, as she watches her family say goodbye to Friedrich, like heâs already a part of them. Sheâs happy that they like him. The way she canât hold back the smile on her face, even as she half-heartedly denies loving him.Â
All of that, my friends, is peak Period Romance right there, and no one can change my mind.Â
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