Places like Los Angeles, New York and Paris have always been staples in film. As a result, I’d always subconsciously look down on anyone who was either “#sacramentoproud” or had an adjacent mentality, it seemed like someone would only claim the city with that lousy yellow bridge and short, underwhelming buildings when they couldn’t make it anywhere else. Lady Bird, whose story practically oozes the very essence of Sacramento, changed my mind on the city.

Writer/Director Greta Gerwig’s debut centers on Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson’s life in suburban Sacramento as she navigates the last year of high school and seeks to attend college on the east coast. The film, at its core, is a love story between mother and daughter and how their relationship overcomes obstacles.

Gerwig grew up in Sacramento. Her vision of the city greatly helps this film to become completely grounded in its setting, she doesn’t let you forget where you are for even a scene.

Saoirse Ronan’s performance as the titular protagonist is adolescence personified. Many ‘teen’ movies contain characters that rely on cheap cliches and unrealistic drama to stay entertaining. Ronan, may we thank the movie gods, does none of that. Using the word “nuanced” seems strange being that one could call the film wall to wall antics but it’s true, the subtle mannerisms she employs make the film irresistibly relatable.

The film also succeeds where many others fail as it tackles the complexities of high school romance. Timothee Chalamet and Lucas Hedges turn in great supporting performances as Lady Bird’s love interests, one being a bravado filled bad boy and the other a clean cut Catholic. Ironically, Gerwig’s film never swoons, an impressive cadence persists even in the presence of Lady Bird’s romantic ventures. It instead maintains a focus on the central plot while also giving the romance enough room to breathe, but not take over.