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Greta Gerwig is radiant as Frances, a woman in her late twenties in contemporary New York trying to sort out her ambitions, her finances, and, above all, her intimate but shifting bond with her best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner). Meticulously directed by Noah Baumbach with a free-and-easy vibe reminiscent of the French New Wave’s most spirited films, and written by Baumbach and Gerwig with an effortless combination of sweetness and wit, Frances Ha gets at both the frustrations and the joys of being young and unsure of where to go next. This wry and sparkling city romance is a testament to the ongoing vitality of independent American cinema. (Criterion)

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Reviews (2)

Marigold 

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English After overcoming the Happy-Go-Lucky syndrome of wrathful hatred for the main characters (and the crazy management and atmosphere), I have to appreciate Baumbach's elegant storytelling, cleverly written dialogues, the courage to make unsympathetic characters who are out of the "laid back friends" box, and the literary structure of the story (relationships). Frances Ha didn't particularly affect me, but it's a bright and non-banal conversational comedy that also captures the atmosphere of New York in black and white (and beautifully quotes Leos Carax's Mauvais Sang - which I did appreciate, except for the friendly warning). In the end, a pleasant film, with whose protagonist it is difficult to establish an emotional bond, but it is quite easy to understand and watch with interest. ()

JFL 

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English Frances Ha is a more idealistic, outsider-ish, and melancholic Girls, thanks to which Noah Baumbach’s ground-breaking film has a better rating among most men than Lena Dunham’s phenomenal series. Whereas Dunham’s heroines are sophisticated and not ashamed to be open in their futility and awkwardness, Baumbach’s idealised ode to his new love and co-writer Greta Gerwig rather gives the impression of a deranged and self-centred manic pixie dream girl. The director and the viewers make up the male counterpart who comes to the enchantment of life through her. Like the narrative ideal of a number of indie films, Frances Ha is a pleasing and ostentatiously free-thinking fairy tale that enchants with its concept of friendship and love. ()