Archive of films Frances Ha / Frances Ha

USA
2012, 86 min

Section: Horizons
Year: 2013

Frances is 27 and shares a Brooklyn apartment with her friend Sophie. She is a dancer but her dreams and ambitions are unclear to those around her and even to herself. But this doesn’t mean that she is unhappy and has given up hope.… With a style balancing somewhere between Eric Rohmer and Woody Allen, independent New York director Noah Baumbach creates a delicate story about a directionless protagonist who has no shortage of lust for life or wild spontaneity.

Synopsis

Twenty-eight-year-old Frances is, to put it simply, "undateable.” She is too busy trying to make it as a dancer in New York, where she shares a flat with her inseparable best friend Sophie. When she has a falling-out with Sophie and goes through a break-up with her boyfriend, she manages it all with surprising and unfeigned ease. The same goes for the other difficulties that come hurtling inexorably at her from all sides. Could it be that she is simply refusing to grow up and take responsibility for her life? In this black-and-white romance and modern fairy tale with the excellent Greta Gerwig as Frances, the setting – New York City – plays as much a role as its madcap heroine. The director clearly feels understanding and sympathy for her, although audiences may not be sure whether to hate her or love her. With a sense of humor and perspective, this energy-laden film – which was successfully shown in the Panorama section at this year’s Berlinale – depicts the confusion surrounding adulthood and the need to stand up for your decisions.

About the director

Noah Baumbach (b. 1969, New York) graduated in English from Vassar College (1991). His cinematic debut was the tragicomedy Kicking and Screaming (1995). This was followed by the romantic comedies Mr. Jealousy (1997) and Highball (1997), which cemented his reputation as a creator of independent films that explored his generation’s relationship problems. He enjoyed international success with the 2005 autobiography The Squid and the Whale, which earned Best Director at Sundance and an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. His tragicomedy Margot at the Wedding (2007) starred Nicole Kidman, and Greenberg (2010) featured Ben Stiller and Jennifer Jason Leigh. He also contributed to the screenplays for Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).

Contacts

Pascale Ramonda
91 rue de Ménilmontant, 75020, Paris
France
E-mail: [email protected]

Celluloid Dreams
2, rue Turgot, 75009, Paris
France
Tel: +33 149 700 370
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.celluloid-dreams.com

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About the film

Black & white, DCP

Section:	Horizons

Director:	Noah Baumbach
Screenplay:	Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig
Dir. of Photography:	Sam Levy
Editor:	Jennifer Lame
Producer:	Noah Baumbach, Scott Rudin, Lila Yacoub, Rodrigo Teixeira
Production:	Pine District Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions, RT Features
Cast:	Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver
Contact:	Pascale Ramonda, Celluloid Dreams