Review of Frances Ha (2013) by V H — 03 Jul 2013

Frances (Greta Gerwig) is a 27-year-old wannabe dancer living in New York City with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner, aka, Sting's daughter). Frances and Sophie are about as close as two people in a platonic relationship can be. They enjoy each other's company so much that when Frances' boyfriend asks her to move in with him, she apologetically declines, saying she wants to keep living with Sophie even after their lease runs out and implying that to do otherwise would be disloyal.

Unfortunately, Sophie approaches life a bit more pragmatically; shortly after Frances turns down her boyfriend's invitation (which results in them breaking up), Sophie announces that she's moving in with another friend because she likes that neighborhood better. This perceived betrayal, combined with Sophie's growing attachment to a boyfriend that she and Frances used to mock, all but destroys their friendship.

As if this isn't bad enough, Frances' dance career has hit the skids so she can no longer afford to stay in her current apartment, even with a new roommate. Instead she bounces from place to place staying with semi-friends as long as they'll have her. One such roommate is a rich kid named Benji who facetiously pegs her as "undateable" on a regular basis; despite her good looks she has no problem actually living up to this title.

Set mainly in New York and filmed in black and white, "Frances Ha" is reminiscent of old Woody Allen films, you know, from back in the pre-Soon-Yi era when everything he made was still good. Gerwig's Frances is an extremely likable character, struggling on every possible level but still funny and optimistic and seemingly unaware of her many quirks.

Perhaps I'm not in the target demographic for a movie about someone who can't quite get the hang of adulthood, but I nonetheless loved it.