Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Esper, Michael Zegen
Running Time: 86 minutes
Certificate: 15
The exceptional Greta Gerwig not only co-wrote FRANCE HA with director Noah Baumback but also plays the title role. The timing of this movie means a definite GIRLS (and Woody Allen) stratosphere to proceedings (including Adam Driver) but this comparison is more about the era with some of the best new female writers and film-makers making their mark. There’s also the deeper exploration of female relationships, which in this case offers a wonderful mix of complexity and insight. FRANCES HA is a refreshing take on two people, where the world around them takes a back seat to their specific reality.
Frances (Gerwig) is an apprentice dancer seeking that bigger role and also struggling to find the focus in her life, that she can see in other people’s lives. But she’s not thoughtless or a fallen idol of a character, Frances feels real, confused, unsure but giving life a shot, even if she doesn’t know where it’s headed. Her bumpy existence is only made bearable by her best friend, Sophie, played brilliantly by Mickey Sumner. Initially they’re inseparable but when Sophie finds love, Frances fells more lost and struggles to keep her own life balanced.
Sam Levy’s black and white cinematography is perfect for the sense and direction of the film and we happily don’t find that off-the-wall quirky nature that often indie films turn into. What makes FRANCES HA different is the connection you find for her character through both the ups and downs. Gerwig holds the screen with a beautiful reality, where her self-made uncomfortable nature and being is never overemotional and instead filled with authenticity. Indie film-making at its best.
[usr=4] FRANCES HA is out on Blu-ray and DVD now.
