Frances Ha (2012)
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A struggling dancer navigates the complexities of female friendship and career stagnation in New York City.
The story
After graduating from Vassar College, best friends Frances and Sophie move to Brooklyn with dreams of becoming successful creatives. Frances becomes an apprentice at a dance company, juggling gigs while waiting for a permanent position, while Sophie works in publishing. At 27, Frances finds herself struggling to make it in New York. She faces a series of personal setbacks, including a breakup and the news that Sophie is moving to a more upscale neighborhood with a different friend. Feeling wounded and isolated, Frances rents a spare room in Chinatown with two affluent creatives, as she attempts to navigate her evolving social life and career.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After graduating from Vassar College, best friends Frances and Sophie move to Brooklyn to pursue creative careers. Frances becomes a dance apprentice, while Sophie works in publishing. At 27, Frances's life begins to unravel as she breaks up with her boyfriend and learns Sophie is moving to a more upscale neighborhood with a different friend. Frances moves into a shared apartment in Chinatown with Lev and Benji. As Sophie's life takes off with her well-paid boyfriend Patch, Frances struggles with her boss Colleen easing her out of the dance company. After a disappointing Christmas in Sacramento and a poorly planned weekend trip to Paris, Frances learns Sophie is moving to Tokyo. Frances briefly returns to Vassar to work as a waitress before running into Sophie and Patch at a fundraiser. Sophie, unhappy in Japan and having suffered a miscarriage, asks to stay with Frances but ultimately returns to Patch. Frances eventually accepts an office job as a choreographer, moves into her own apartment in Washington Heights, and begins dating Benji. The film ends with Frances writing her name on her new mailbox, folding the paper so it reads 'Frances Ha'.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 86
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Noah Baumbach
- Writers
- Noah Baumbach · writer; Greta Gerwig · writer
- Cast and characters
- Greta Gerwig · Frances Halladay; Mickey Sumner · Sophie Levee; Adam Driver · Lev Shapiro; Michael Zegen · Benji; Patrick Heusinger · Reade "Patch" Krause; Michael Esper · Dan; Charlotte d'Amboise · Colleen; Grace Gummer · Rachel
- Genres
- comedy drama; independent
- Themes
- female friendship; career struggle; identity
- Tone and mood
- mordant; warm; monochromatic
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; buddy comedy-drama; dance
- Reception
- The film received universal acclaim, with critics praising Greta Gerwig's performance and the film's portrayal of female friendship. It was noted for its warm, mordant tone and its stylish black-and-white cinematography.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 92% · review count: 192; Metacritic · score: 82 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in black-and-white to emulate collaborations by Woody Allen and Gordon Willis.; The production used a consumer-grade Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera to maintain a student filmmaker style.; The filmmakers included pop songs by artists like David Bowie and Paul McCartney in the soundtrack.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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