Review: Frances Ha (2012)
Greta Gerwig, director of “Lady Bird” (2017) and “Little Women” (2019), starred as Frances Halladay in Noah Baumbach’s 2012 film, “Frances Ha,” written by both Gerwig and Baumbauch. Like “Lady Bird,” “Frances Ha” is classified as mumblecore: it is a movie with relatable scenes, naturalistic acting, and mostly non-A-list actors.
Frances is 27 years old with the typical millennial worries of being unable to afford rent and getting a solid job. Her current job in the beginning of the movie is not really a job, but more of a temp position at a dance company. She calls herself an “apprentice,” but she’s not really being mentored or learning anything. She dances but isn’t good enough to be a professional dancer. She’s not very useful to the dance company as an amateur dancer but depends on it to pay rent. So when Frances is told that she is no longer needed for the Christmas show, she becomes temporarily unemployed.
The biggest loss in Frances’ life, however, is that of her best friend, Sophie Levee (Mickey Sumner). The two women met each other in college, live together as roommates, and are practically married to each other, though both are aware that their relationship is platonic. Their bond is strong enough, so when Sophie decides to move in with her boyfriend, it breaks Frances. She struggles to come to terms with losing her friend as she starts living with two male acquaintances (Adam Driver and Michael Zegen), and then later with a fellow dancer (Grace Gummer).
Frances navigates her life with a positive (albeit quirky and awkward) demeanor. Granted, her situation wasn’t that serious, but the idea of being on the edge of homelessness, losing a best friend, and not having a guaranteed source of income should cause some degree of emotional stress. I credit her positive mentality to being surrounded by supportive people her entire life. She had possibly the greatest best friend one could ever have; she has acquaintances willing to let her stay in their apartments; and when she goes home for Christmas, she is openly welcomed by her parents, who even offered to help her monetarily. A sort of getaway moment, not quite equivalent to an emotional breakdown, is when Frances decides to take the opportunity to stay over the weekend at an acquaintance’s apartment in Paris.
The entire movie is filmed in black and white, which provides a reflective tone and a sense of looking back at one’s recent past, but Gerwig’s character keeps the story comedic and uplifting. Despite being filmed in New York City and Paris, the movie’s black-and-white filter seems to focus less on the activity in the background and more on what the characters are doing. Some people might dislike movies that focus just on the main character and their thoughts and feelings, in favor of more external action with a bigger impact, but I usually enjoy these types of introspective movies because they feel more realistic and relatable.
When Frances finally gets her life together and is about to stick her name tag in the mailbox of her new home, the name doesn’t fit. She could have folded her name tag to just be “Frances H,” but the “Ha” points at France’s quirky and socially awkward dialogue, which is marked with nervous giggles that reveal vulnerability.
Everything she says has an undertone of “I don’t have my life together.”
In this clip, she explicitly says “ha ha” in a monologue where she expresses her unsolicited, but sincere thoughts on her ideal relationship:
“Frances Ha” is an enjoyable movie that resonates with young people trying to navigate life. Abbreviating her last name to “Ha” could also indicate how Frances laughs at and enjoys life. She never achieves her dream of becoming a professional dancer, and she no longer lives with her now-married best friend. Although, Frances does move on with her life and finds satisfaction and success in her present self.
