Frances Ha – Thursday 10th April 2025

I’m blasting David Bowie’s ‘Modern Love’ on repeat as I write this.

Anyway, it was late on Thursday, I hadn’t done much with my day (or my life), so to give the day some significance, I wanted to watch a movie before I hit the sack. Like I said, it was late, so I did a quick search for movies under 90 minutes (unfortunately, my viewing habits are often decided this way).

I remember when ‘Frances Ha’ came out; it was the darling of the Indie scene, and film snobs were raving about it, which in itself made me want to avoid it (J'déteste film snobs).

I’ve been talking to a lot of dancers lately (purely for research purposes) and one of them told me that ‘Frances Ha’ was about a dancer and that I should check it out. This was the perfect opportunity.

I really liked it! The film is a kind of ‘slice of life’ about a ‘lovable loser’, which is a very tricky subject, but it works because Greta Gerwig is absolutely perfect in the role; she makes the protagonist so damn likeable! A great example of the power of collaboration, with a character crafted by the expertise of the actor playing the part!

The first half of the film sparkles with verve and fizz, capturing the youthful ‘dream’ of what it is to be young and full of life in New York City. The second half of the film loses that sparkle, and gains a more wistful tone, as the reality of adulthood (without rich parents) sets in.

The monologue that Frances delivers (at the dinner party) about what she’s looking for in life is so simple, and yet profound; I’m sure we’re all looking for the same thing, which helps us bond with her character. Not only was the scene effective, but it was completely necessary, because in the first ten minutes, all the characters in the film felt so foreign to me. I have absolutely nothing in common with these people! Any of them!

Still, the film rekindled my lifelong desire to be a twenty-something living the life in New York City! I’m about twenty years late when it comes to that dream, but in mind, there’s always time for everything!

I read a review that criticises the film for being a poor imitation of the French New Wave. I’d call it more of a love letter. Besides, the French New Wave was like a million years ago.

In short, a great film, and definitely worth watching!