Frances Ha (2013)
One of the most unrecognized modern working filmmakers has to be Noah Baumbach. Despite him finding more mainstream attention as of recent, especially with his major awards play Marriage Story, a shockingly high amount of Baumbach's films come and go without much buzz despite their engaging screenplays often reflecting the modern human condition in a way few filmmakers do. One film that slowly has become more and more of a Film Twitter favorite despite still lacking much mainstream support is Frances Ha. Frances (Greta Gerwig) is a young woman living in New York City wandering through life without much direction or purpose. Where this has been ok for her in the past, more and more people around her have started to progress in their lives and careers forcing Frances to reconsider what she is doing and what steps she should take next.
As mentioned, one of the consistent highlights of Noah Baumbach projects are the screenplays (this time co-written by both Baumbach and Gerwig) which feel so realistic and grounded clearly drawing inspiration from experiences the screenwriters have faced in their lives. Where it is clear that his films set in New York like Frances Ha will connect the deepest for those who have spend time living their themselves considering how raw and honestly Baumbach captures the city, it is far from a prerequisite for finding meaning in the film. The explored themes of growing up and having to reflect on your place in the world as those around you seem to have it all figured out is absolutely universal and powerful. This self-doubt is often felt but rarely explored causing Frances Ha to stand out even further. Mixed with this deeper emotional journey, Baumbach is not afraid to throw in comedy that not only serves the purpose of smartly breaking the depth of the film up but also helps bring this world to life further. The truth is that even in moments of struggle, there normally is still the presence of joy and humor in some regard that is mistakingly lost in many films trying to capture this kind of depth. Frances Ha is another example of Baumbach's mastery of finding the balance between comedy and sadness making the world feel like a snapshot of the real world.
Sadly, the major thing that holds Frances Ha back from fully standing out as one of Baumbach's best is the character of Frances herself. Where the experiences that Frances goes through might be relatable and easy to understand, it is extremely difficult to get into the head of Frances to understand how she is dealing with these more complex emotions and struggles. Where it is clear that Frances is immature, the film plays into it so much that her character starts to feel out of place especially in the grounded world that the film creates. To be clear, very little of the blame should fall on Gerwig as her performance is well crafted for the character she has to play. Instead the issue comes from a screenplay perspective. There needs to be a balance and craft with characters like Frances and that direction and understanding just wasn't there which is disappointing considering every other piece of the film is obviously well thought out and crafted. Where this is far from enough to completely kill the message of the film and the impact it has on audiences, it is undoubtedly a wall there that starts to create disconnect between the film and audiences.
Frances Ha is yet another example of Baumbach's talent to explore legitimate emotion regarding the modern human experience, but sadly due to an overall out of place character really fails to be one of Baumbach's best. It is entirely possible that for others who can relate to Frances this character will connect deeper, but for those who can't understand or relate to her mindset, it will undoubtedly be a struggle at times. Frances Ha is a good film that only is able to dance with being much more despite the masterful worldbuilding from Noah Baumbach.
Frances Ha is yet another example of Baumbach's talent to explore legitimate emotion regarding the modern human experience, but sadly due to an overall out of place character really fails to be one of Baumbach's best. It is entirely possible that for others who can relate to Frances this character will connect deeper, but for those who can't understand or relate to her mindset, it will undoubtedly be a struggle at times. Frances Ha is a good film that only is able to dance with being much more despite the masterful worldbuilding from Noah Baumbach.