Frances Ha (Dir Noah Baumbach. 2012)

Summary: A story that follows a New York woman (who doesn't really have an apartment), apprentices for a dance company (though she's not really a dancer), and throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possibility dwindles. 

There seems to be an increase in strong women making films about feeling lost and life not being the fairy tale we were lead to believe it would be. I don't know about you but from a young age I thought my path was set: I do well enough at school to go to University, get an awesome job, fall in love, get married, have kids and live happily ever after. What really happened was I went to University realised the fairy tale was not what I wanted and that I had to make my own rules, which included making plenty of mistakes and bad decisions. When I finished Uni and had no idea what I wanted to do or where to go next and then convinced myself I was the only one that felt like this. Of course I am not the only one that feels like this and I am so pleased that films like Frances Ha and Tiny Furniture and TV programmes like Girls came along to say: it's OK to have no idea what you're doing or where you're going, I have no idea either.

Poor Frances Ha, she wants to be a successful and although it's not meant to be she cannot admit the failure to herself or her friends, she finds herself locked in a life of lies and unfulfilled dreams. Frances wanders aimlessly hoping for the best but finding disappointment in this beautiful story of lost ambitions and friendships fraying at the seams. Gerwig is fantastic as Francis portraying the perfect mix of lost idealism, naive hope and disillusion with the supporting cast a beautiful mix of supportive friends and sceptical bystanders. I think that this film being shot in black and white seems to imply that Frances is waiting for her story to start and that the colour will return when Frances' story begins (like in the Wizard of OZ) but as this real life not a fairy tale the colour never appears.

I know I haven't sold this as the funniest watch but it is really good, it's funny and clever and quirky and yet still feels real. Gerwig is likeable and charming and it really has something to say about the lost idealism of being 20-something. Does it have a happy ending? You'll have to watch it to find out!

Overall: Greta Gerwig lost out on the Golden Globe for best actress but that is no excuse not to watch this 9/10

2014 Nominations -

Golden Globes
Nominated Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical: Greta Gerwig

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
Nominated Critics Choice Award Best Actress in a Comedy: Greta Gerwig

Central Ohio Film Critics Association
Nominated Best Actress: Greta Gerwig & Best Picture

Independent Spirit Awards 2014
Nominated Best Feature & Best Editing

London Critics Circle Film Awards
Nominated Film of the Year, Actress of the Year: Greta Gerwig & Technical Achievement of the Year

Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
3rd place Best Actress Greta Gerwig

Vancouver Film Critics Circle
Nominated Best Actress: Greta Gerwig