#SXSW: “THE LADY BIRD DIARIES” REVIEW

By Amanda Gilmore

Award-Winning Filmmaker Dawn Porter brings us this engrossing Documentary about one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies, Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson. Porter uses all-archival footage and the 123 hours of personal and revealing audio diaries that Lady Bird recorded during her husband’s administration.

Through Lady Bird’s audio diaries, we get a look into many pivotal events throughout US history. That’s because LBJ’s time in office was one of the most tumultuous and significant periods in modern American history that included the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. Porter doesn’t glaze over these monumental moments but rather delves deep into the movements, protests and the bills passed. We’ve heard of these historical moments from today’s viewpoint, however, this Documentary gives insight into this important period from someone inside the White House while it was all happening.

This engrossing Documentary shows the impact Lady Bird had during her husband’s time in office. She was a voice of reason for LBJ and spoke her mind when she knew her opinion needed to be heard. It’s captivating to listen to phone calls she made to her husband informing him of how he should be handling certain situations. These conversations, and all the other times she voiced her opinion, are inspirational for women of all ages — both then and now. 

The one major takeaway about Lady Bird‘s legacy, as her passion for the environment. It was due to her that Nixon form the National Environmental Policy Act. It’s clear that her focus on environmental issues proves she was a woman and catalyst ahead of her time.

Although she’s been considered one of the least understood First Ladies, The Lady Bird Diaries proves that she was an intelligent political strategist and had a deep understanding of people.

The Lady Bird Diaries screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:

Mar 10 at 5:00pm at ZACH Theatre

Mar 14 at 6:15pm at Rolling Theatre at The Long Center