If Lady Bird is, as Gerwig asserts, a «love letter to Sacramento,» then this montage of everyday, easy - to - take - for - granted sights is the big S.W.A.K. on the envelope, an unmistakable declaration of affection; the static shots throughout the movie of old neon signs from Gunther's, the Tower Theatre and Club Raven could be considered the missive's heart - shaped punctuation marks; and the purposeful use of light, about which Gerwig was particularly exacting (she dutifully
studied the Sacramento landscapes of renowned contemporary painters Gregory Kondos and Wayne Thiebaud to make sure the
color and intensity were just right), is suitably
analogous to the fine mist of perfume that will linger after the pages have been folded away.