(Film review) Frances Ha (2013): Fun, light-hearted experience of being a struggling young artist in New York

Rating: 9.5/10.0

There is much to be said about coming of age movies or of a particular style of New York based fast-talked movies. Since its release, Frances Ha has been much compared to Manhattan – for the black and white stylistic choices; it’s clear infatuation for New York and a central character in its quest for coherence (no, I don’t mean Link). However, these movies similarities end there. Frances is a corky dancer whose dream is to be a part of the main “group”. She is smart, well read and sweet, but she is also broke, surrounded by wealthy pseudo-artist-intellectual friends and her social awkwardness is borderline painful sometimes.

Unlike, Woody Allen’s character in Manhattan, Frances is endearing dreamer and somewhat relatable. In a world post-financial crisis, it’s not difficult to be or find friends who are struggling to make it at their chosen profession, especially artists in their mid to late 20s. Alongside Frances, we embark on this journey on trying to make her passion for dance a reality, even if not in very traditional ways. Moreover, this is a movie about friendship. Frances and her best friend’s path begin to diverge and their almost symbiotic relationship becomes to crumble when her friend becomes more seriously involved in a romantic relationship. It’s very accurate in its depiction of how those types of close relationships adapt or deteriorate when another party is involved. However unlike a lot of movies that have female friendships, there is no stereotypical competition or cattiness amongst these two. Much like their dreams of being successful artists, they had planned a life in New York together and that changed as well.

The soundtrack is brilliant and the acting is great, definitely would recommend watching.

First posted at Post-Production Reviews on 2012. Link to the movie’s IMDB page.