By Sean Wu
This Friday, January 20th, FilmScene will begin playing two movies featuring Greta Gerwig – Frances Ha and Jackie, both regarded with high acclaim and Oscar buzz. The week after, January 27th, FilmScene will add Jim Jarmusch’s also acclaimed Paterson, starring one of the most talented new actors of the past few years. In honor of these two stars and their three upcoming releases, a revisit on their breakout movie, 2012’s Frances Ha.
At the 2013 Sundance Film Festival’s Next sidebar, Randy Moore’s mysterious and rogue Escape from Tomorrow premiered. It was immediately recognized for its low-key and secretive filming and production at Disney World. Upon release, the movie fizzled at the box office, and reviews were tepid. The gimmick had worn off.
The same cannot be said about Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha. In July 2012, the Toronto Film Festival announced its preliminary lineup. In it was Frances Ha, mysterious and rogue, simply because no one had heard of its existence before the lineup announcement. An IMDb page had to be made for the movie after the fact! Upon its unveiling, it was warmly received, simply because it was such warm movie – and not even by Baumbach standards! (his most recent releases then were Margot at the Wedding and Greenberg, both cynical and deadpan)
Secretive filming gimmick aside, Frances Ha works because it simply is a good movie. Greta Gerwig stars as the titular Frances, ditzy, charming, and still sorting her life out. Her Golden Globe nominated performance would have made a worthy winner (Amy Adams won for American Hustle). Gerwig works as Frances so well because the part is made for her – she co-wrote the movie with Baumbach. Gerwig’s struggles are never life-threatening, but they are so fascinating because they are so relatable. We’ve all been there.
The movie itself is a treat. It doesn’t feel like a standard indie comedy (it was distributed theatrically by IFC Films, a company known for their many releases that initially premiered at Sundance) because of Baumbach’s perfect synthesis of various influences. David Bowie, French New Wave, Manhattan… Frances Ha remains as Baumbach’s most interesting movie because its style is so fresh.
Adam Driver co-stars as one of France’s friends, the funny and goofy Lev. He isn’t in the movie too much, but enough so to leave an impression. Other co-stars include Mickey Sumner and Grace Gummer. Since Frances Ha’s release, Baumbach has released three more movies, and another due for release this year. None are as strong as Frances Ha, but regardless, the Baumbachnissance that has started because of collaboration with Gerwig is most welcome.
Frances Ha is free to stream with a Netflix subscription. Sean Wu is an avid consumer of mass media. He is currently a part of Bijou Horizons. More of his writing can be read here.