There is no force in this world greater or more inseparable than the friendship and bond between two women. This kind of friendship has proven time and time again to be a critical element in women as they mature into their adulthood, as well as the basis for an extraordinarily gorgeous film. Frances Ha is the defining movie to really exemplify this friendship and who better to embody its story than Greta Gerwig. What I adore most about this film is the titular performance from Gerwig and the direction from her now-boyfriend Noah Baumbach. Gerwig absolutely stole this film, so much to the point that it began to feel almost autobiographical. This is only assisted by Baumbach's surprisingly sensitive and careful direction, which makes this story as truly beautiful as it is. After having this film recommended by a multitude of people, I am so glad to say that it definitely lives up to its praise as a heartwarming and stunning story of a woman's simple yet utterly complicated life.
Frances (Greta Gerwig) is a young dancer living in New York City with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner), a writer for a publishing house. When both of their relationships take different turns, they find themselves split up in various apartments across the city. Looking to land on her feet, Frances takes up residence with a few friends and tries to sort out her life in the most coming-of-age ways possible. While this film could fit into infinitely different genres, it is truly just the epitome of slice-of-life cinema. Following the life of Frances over the course of a year or so, this movie puts all of its focus on telling the story of Frances and the multiple places that she's lived. The use of locations and their respective title cards to show where Frances was throughout her life was such a clever idea and provided some very interesting narrative framing. This technique almost makes the audience feel as if they are inside the world of Frances with her experiencing her life rather than watching along as an outsider. Baumbach's extremely personal direction suited this film extremely well, as it plays out as more of a scene-by-scene stage play than a typical, plot-driven movie. The relaxing and playful nature of this entire film was also what makes it stand out so well from many other films about women in New York City "finding themselves." Frances had already really found herself, which made this movie such an interesting case study for her as she just went with the flow of wherever life took her. It's not that Frances as a character was necessarily careless, but her easygoing yet self-assured mannerisms made her such a lovable lead to follow along with.
Frances Ha also solidifies the notion that people who complain about black and white films are complete babies. I absolutely adore the simplistic style that Baumbach chose for this movie, as it really makes the audience focus on the writing and immersing themselves in this New York environment. Not that Sam Levy's cinematography wasn't beautiful, but it didn't really need to be, as Baumbach and Gerwig's script gave this film its real beauty. The central theme of friendship between women was so captivating and done so genuinely as well. Clearly establishing itself as the most prevalent theme, Frances and Sophie's relationship is handed to the audience right off the bat as they should rightfully be. The way that these two develop, grow apart, and eventually come back together is so symbolic of not just reality but their respective characters too. They knew throughout their entire lives that they would always have each other's back, regardless of who they might be with or where they might be living. Seeing how this affected Frances was where I found this film most interesting, as she stumbles in trying to find her place in the city without Sophie. Frances was so much more than just a temporarily homeless dancer trying to get her life back on track, but a complex and multi-dimensional character that brought out nothing but authenticity from Gerwig's stunning performance.
As simply executed as it is mesmerizing to watch, Frances Ha is the peak of authentic, supportive friendships between women. Although it gives more time to its lead protagonist rather than the characters around her, this is a sincere story that anyone who has ever grown up and grown apart from their best friend can relate to. What Frances Ha succeeds as the most, however, is telling its story so elegantly that its audience will feel so engrossed in this world, often to the point that one could forget that they're watching a movie and not their own lives.
My Rating: ★★★★
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