“Sometimes it’s good to do what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it.”
The world can be a pretty scary place. That’s why when we found something we can rely on or feel comfortable with, we hold on to it. Frances (Greta Gerwig) have a perfect roommate/best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner). They are so much in sync as best friend and living partner, they are practically married.
When Frances’ boyfriend, Dan (Michael Esper) ask her to live with her, Frances answers indirectly that she prefers to stay with her roommate. They broke up just like that, with no tears or fight. Frances goes back living happily with Sophie, but couldn’t help feeling crossed when Sophie told her that she wants to live in Tribeca, the place where she always wanted to live. Couldn’t afford paying the apartment alone, Frances lives with two guy friends, Lev (Adam Driver) and Benji (Michael Zegen), one she went out with once. Still waiting for a big gig in her dance company, makes Frances couldn’t barely afford the rent. But then she heard that Sophie is on a serious relationship with her boyfriend, Patch (Patrick Heusinger) and about to live in Tokyo, because that’s where his job would be. Frances couldn’t keep herself together, with all the changes and especially when she heard that the dance job offer is unavailable.
Stories about 20-ish girl living in New York and struggling between jobs and relationships was famously introduced by Lena Dunham’s TV series, Girls. Frances Ha (2013) was less whiny and maturer, perhaps because Frances is aged 27. But the bottom line was mostly the same (though have similar atmosphere), and even have one same actor in it, Adam Driver as Lev, one of Frances’ roommate. But somehow Frances was more independent and while she’s falling apart, she still tries to keep it together, although not too low until she feel depressed. This movie somehow captures more of the unpleasant life transition feels, dealing with failures and how you try to find your next ‘safe’ environment, safe means a job that can pay your bills and fulfill your dreams. Safe also means a home, which Frances doesn’t have most of the time in this movie. Safe also about best friend support, which Frances normally have with Sophie, but Sophie is dealing with her own life changes.
Frances Ha showed a lot about how changes is uneasy, but it is necessary. Perhaps it feels more classy because it is centered on Frances and Sophie. It’s unevitable sometimes, like when we thought we’ll live close with our best friend forever, but universe have other plans. Though surely we can’t live without them, but sometimes the comfort fooling us into thinking that we will always be with them. I couldn’t help but thinking that Sophie should be more easy on telling Frances about the changes she wanted to make, but either way it’s Frances’ clock to leave the nest and find her own way. Perhaps because Sophie and Frances have competitive points with each other, which makes them keeping scores on who lives their lives better. It’s what makes them feel distant and awkward to one another, and it’s one obstacle when you have a friend with the same age, or at least the same level of maturity.
Always have a good feeling with Greta Gerwig, she’s very naturally dramatic and likeable on screen. Didn’t really like the story of her character in Lola Versus (2012), although it is almost the same, thankfully Gerwig paid it off with Frances Ha. Most of the time in the movie I felt bad for her character, and at some point she invited us in her pity party, but the story gets better. Aside from the second collaboration with Noah Baumbach, the director, perhaps the movie worked better because she also co-written the script. Other times maybe because I love David Bowie’s Modern Love and it’s playing about more than once in the movie.
Frances Ha is a good coming-of-age drama movie about a 27-year-old dancer (though it doesn’t much focused on dancing), in black-and-white film which makes it more artistic and raw (and I love it), changes in friendship and attempt to survive while reaching dreams. It’s not the mind blowing type, but there’s something good to learn from it. I think what makes it speaks a lot is when Frances is dealing with lots of failures, to the point where she took a new credit card and bought ticket to Paris, even when she knows it’s the credit card company’s way to make her on debt. It’s also great that a movie about girl friendship doesn’t involve backstabbing or hair-pulling, or silly silent treatments. It’s one loveable decent drama.
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