Frances Ha
Dir: Noah Baumbach
2012
*****
I've heard a lot of people refer to Frances Ha as both a Woody Allen inspired film and as a blatant Woody Allen rip off. I think that is completely unfair and unfounded. There are similarities; It's about people, the script is great, it's a New York film. That's about it. With 20 years of film making under his belt and a very definite style of his own, this is very much a Noah Baumbach film. Stripping the film back to black and white simplicity suited the film perfectly, Manhattan wasn't the first time this was done either. Perfect film direction aside, this film is all about the wonderful Greta Gerwig. Her writing is as good as her acting and both are fabulous (darling). Honest, touching and very funny and universally appealing too. She really is representing a generation. I'm a similar age and I have to concur with her findings. Every generation claims to be 'The lost generation', but it's fair to say that every generation has that one individual gripe or feeling that is unique to it's age group. Gerwig captures that brilliantly and honestly, never shying away from the fact that we are often our own worst enemies as well as our own best saviors. The idea of compulsively going to Paris only to find herself with little to do and being too tired to do most of it is a brilliant swipe at our generations 'live for the day' motto. This is a future classic, no doubt, and rightfully so.