“We are going to take over the world,” says Frances, the namesake of the recent indie flick, “Frances Ha,” and perhaps every other post-collegiate hopeful.
Well, she tried and more or less succeeded; in the most charming way possible.
“Frances Ha” follows recent college graduate Frances as she navigates herself through the inevitable missteps of being a bright-eyed 20-something-year-old who just wants to live the bohemian life. In Frances’ case, she aspires to become a modern dancer even though she has minimal dance experience and is more or less graceless.
It’s something some of us might already see, if not among ourselves, then definitely among fellow 20-something-year-olds or on a recent episode of “Girls" - post-grad disillusionment and confusion on how to traverse adult life.
This begs a bigger question. Why are we so enthralled in the egocentrism of being twenty-something?
The same effect explains the phenomenon of “Girls” and subsequently, the charm of “Frances Ha”. These characters are relatable. Many of us are clumsily stepping our way through our twenties like them. But we like these characters because they’re more or less hot messes, not because they’re exactly who we aspire to become.
This film is a breath of fresh air from the female-centric conventions that dominate film and television. Frances doesn’t need a guy to fulfill her life’s purpose. And Frances isn’t a super chic New Yorker living in a cool loft. She’s a post-grad who is crashing at her friends’ place and just lost her dream job. Amazingly Frances is still an optimist.
Even though “Frances Ha” isn’t this summer’s huge blockbuster, or may not be playing in a mainstream movie theater near you, definitely try and check it out if you’re looking for a refreshing take on twenty-something-year-old female adventures.
Alicia Soller
Don’t let the following turn you away from “Frances Ha”: it’s in black-and-white, it’s set in hipster-y New York, its cast is largely unknown and it mostly features a 27-year-old woman just hanging out with friends. There’s more to it than that.
The film follows the genuinely charming Greta Gerwig, who plays Frances, through a series of events that put her on a downward spiral. She’s not making especially bad life choices. She’s no party girl and she’s not ambitionless. But she feels the onset of adulthood and she’s not prepared yet. As an apprentice dancer who can’t join the main company, Frances finds her career is at a standstill. Her best friend is ignoring her and moving out to get serious with her boyfriend. And she can barely scrape together rent money.
Whether in relationships or in careers, director Noah Baumbach’s “Frances Ha” is about making that hard transition between youthful dreaming and dealing with unfriendly realities. Frances is forced to accept that her best friend needs space, that she needs to make a shift in her career and that the upper-middle-class life she envies isn’t always compatible with being an artist. The fact that her life is changing doesn’t make it a failure.
If it sounds like "Girls," it’s a surface similarity. This is a 90-minute film, making the storytelling arc way more concise than a TV show. And Frances is no Hannah Horvath, either. Gerwig’s performance makes her a way more likable character. She’s sweet, vulnerable and giving in her relationships. When she acts overly needy or angry, it’s pretty clear why she feels that way. She learns from her mistakes and is eventually humbled by them. When she becomes self-pitying, she gets a reality check. One character even tells her, “You’re not poor. That’s offensive to actual poor people.” The film keeps Frances moving, it doesn’t let her wallow in her sorrows for long.
Though it may sound like a straight drama, the film is actually pretty funny. The choice of using black-and-white gives it a stripped down, dreamy quality. The story moves quickly and when there are dull moments, it’s mostly the fault of the obnoxious supporting characters. There are times that Frances’ choices are really idiotic, but the film never makes her totally unsympathetic. It’s a breezy coming-of-age story that hits so many great notes on female friendships, class, entitlement and adulthood. Check it out if you want a fun film that passes the Bechdel test.
Maria Llorens
