Frances Ha

Frances Ha (2012)

I liked this film in a kind of interested, warm way as it got going. Its black and white simplicity and its regular people both appeal on the most normal level.

The more I watched, however, and the more I absorbed the brilliance of the performance by leading actress playing Frances (Greta Gerwig), I became entranced and stunned. This is a great film. A great independent film, without production pretensions, but held together perfectly within its means.

This is worth making clear—the film makes a virtue of its simple approach. You'll never feel like it's technically compromised. The photography is a subtle, smart black and white. There's even one scene near the end where two people are talking in bed and they chose to use the very minimum of light, so you just barely see their faces. For a long deep conversation. Gorgeous, and effective.

It's Gerwig who steals the movie, for sure. And she helped write the really sparkling, believable, clever but never too-clever script. It's brilliant stuff. Brilliant. She hits a note of fast transparency, a totally "right" dialog and delivery. Way harder than it seems.

And the character she plays, Frances, is one of those lovable types where things don't go quite right even with all the best intentions. Most of us identify with that all too well. We have our better selves and we have the reality of where those good intentions have gotten us. And yet she perseveres. She puts up with strange but not unfriendly people around her in one apartment after another, and we get a glimpse of young New Yorkers with all their minor pretensions. Searing and funny and touching.

Don't be put off by the weird title (the one mistake in making the film) or by the beginning and its slow, restrained monochrome. The film makes the most of it all and is terrific.

Is it fair to call Frances Ha a product of the mumblecore movement in cinema or is it all too, well, professional? Noah Baumbach's examination of culture, early adulthood, and obsessive friendships not only makes for a good, topical debate but a very worthy motion picture, as Frances Ha is one of the strongest films this year. Heavy on dialog, characterization, and the strong, stable topics to examine, this is a thoughtful mediation on what it means to grow up, stay true to your friends, and be self-reliant.

The film stars the zealous Greta Gerwig (whose work in Hannah Takes the Stairs I still regard as terrific) as the title character, a plucky dancer at the age of twenty-seven, living with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Summer) and her best guy-friend Benji (Michael Zegen). Frances and her friend Sophie are like "straight lesbians," so Benji says, as they do everything together, and both of them would seemingly be lost without each other. The thought is put to the test when Sophie decides to move out of the cramped studio apartment in favor of moving in with another friend, leaving Frances sort of lost and unfulfilled with her current position in life.

This is basic framework for a story that begins to follow the path of a series of vignettes, focusing on the ups and downs in life, along with those awkward stretches no one really likes to talk about. Baumbach brilliantly captures this through a black and white lens, and allows his actors the freedom to get immersed in their characters with little restrictions in place.

Frances Ha does a lot in eighty-six minutes, like notably humanizing the "hipster" culture of the last few years, detail loneliness and friendships, impending adulthood, and dependence all the more. The humanization of "hipster" culture comes into play because we notice that these characters are not of the "typical" breed, whatever we define as typical. They are about as free and unrestrained as the wind that catches their hair, especially Frances herself, who is arguably one of the most fun characters I've had the pleasure of watching this year. There's something about the way she engages in quick-witted conversation, runs happily through the streets of Chinatown at random, and is constantly proclaiming she is "undateable.' Gerwig magically transforms a character bound for a caricature state of mind into a strong woman that may not be looked at as a role model for girls but certainly a realistic portrayal of many.

I imagine the loneliness that the loneliness and slight-depression Frances feels when Sophie leaves her is one many post-college girls will feel when their best girlfriend moves on to bigger and better things and she remains somewhat inert and stuck in her current life position. Baumbach details growing up in Frances Ha not as a choice but as an obligation, which it rightfully is in many regards, but the way he doesn't isn't condescending or superficial, but rather hopeful and endearing.

NOTE: My video review of Frances Ha, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc6LbMzbGww

Starring: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Summer, and Michael Zegen. Directed by: Noah Baumbach.

(2012) Frances Ha COMEDY DRAMA

Greta Gerwig's equivalent updated version of "1978 Girlfriends", except that in this movie her character plays a struggling dancer as opposed to a struggling photographer. Gerwig who was also credited as co-writer along with Noah Baumbach second of her four movies with him. Greta Gerwig stars as title character "Frances Ha", once her best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner) and long time live-in roommate decides to move out of their apartment, so that Sophie can live closer to her new boyfriend, Frances begins to struggle to find another roommate or to find another place.

Again, the positive rating is the result of the unique moments, improvised dialogue exchanges from director Noah Baumbach and his main star actress Greta Gerwig.

Auteur filmmaker Noah Baumbach has specialized throughout his career in humorlessly reflecting on the various purgatories in our lives, or rather those lost years of stasis where the unknowns of life's supposed plans hit the unknowns within ourselves head on. His study of post-collegiate malaise in Kicking and Screaming was the genesis of his uniquely quirky vision—a blend of Whit Stillman's observationally verbose wit and Woody Allen's hilarious yet humanist portraits—that has carried on to other notable character studies he's penned, such as the dysfunctional family drama The Squid and the Whale and the mid-life crisis comedy Greenberg. It was clear in the most sincere moments of the film Greenberg that Baumbach had a creative chemistry with one of its stars Greta Gerwig which has resulted in a new collaborative effort between them to create Baumbach's latest poignantly comedic film entitled Frances Ha, an energetically funny yet undeniably relatable contemplation on the aloof mid-twenties condition. Utilizing crisp black & white cinematography capturing the naturalistic backdrops of New York City, Sacramento, and Paris, Frances Ha possesses an alluring charm mostly through Greta Gerwig's charismatic performance but also in the film's embodiment of French New Wave revivalism that allows substance to shine in even the most monotonous of human interactions. This short and sweet tale on the ambiguity of adult life highlights the changing nature of responsibility, friendship, and love with a surprisingly modest and heartfelt genuineness rarely experienced in film. Though it might have some minor similarities to Lena Dunham's HBO show "Girls" there is no denying that Frances Ha is distinctly Baumbach in character design, cinematic style, and written cleverness. Protagonist Frances proclaims that she "loves things that appear as mistakes" which on its face is the eloquent sentiment that summarizes the film's genuine depiction of mid-twenties paralysis in the face of responsibility. Frances Ha ranks highly in Noah Baumbach's worthwhile filmography because it is probably his most accessible, authentically charming, and least pretentious film all thanks to the screen writing aid and engaging performance from Greta Gerwig.

Can't really decide how I feel about this film. It was somewhat intriguing, beautifully shot (in black and white), and the lead character was perfectly cast. I love quirky characters in independent movies, but most of the time I couldn't decide if Frances was incredibly endearing or incredibly annoying. Immature, yes. Quirky, yes. Childlike, yes.

I didn't by any means hate this movie, but I did not love it as much as others. It is a film like no other, and worth a watch, but it left me feeling ambivalent. There was really no plot, which made sense because Frances didn't really seem to have any clearcut goals or ambitions (other than being a dancer, which wasn't ever going to happen). She lived moment by moment and the film took us on her journeys even though I am not sure they served much of a purpose.