Review by Morgan Fee
Frances Ha is the latest film from writer/director Noah Baumbach (Squid and the Whale), which follows a young 20-something New Yorker (Greta Gerwig) as she struggles with her identity, rent money, and the loss of an important friendship.
What was so special about Frances Ha is its portrayal of a layered young woman who is as equally screwed-up as she is charming. While the tone is habitually comedic, it manages to seriously confront the ennui of early adult life without the pitfall of resolving superficial problems with a happy ending.
As it is rare to find a film whose dominant relationship is one between friends, one of the more unique aspects of the film is the centrality of the claustrophobic female friendship. Frances and her friend Sophie begin as entwined roommates, and Frances generates much of her metaphysical comfort from their relationship. When Sophie moves into another apartment, the cord is cut and Frances begins to grow more isolated and adrift. What I loved about the film was the way in which Frances stumbles and mistakes her way through these changes without the arrival of a knight in shining armour.
Frances can be awkward, irresponsible, immature, and often completely hopeless. For some this may render her slightly unsympathetic. By a similar token, the certain “up in the air” conclusion (which seems to be the narrative du jour) could also leave some unsatisfied. Frances changes, but not that much. However, it is precisely these imperfections that I connected with the most. For the majority of us, we stammer through life with moments of clarity succeeded by times of discomfort. Frances Ha reflects this wonderfully and perhaps relieves some of our anxiety (for a while).
