Frances Ha

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Frances Ha
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Theatrical release poster
Directed byNoah Baumbach
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StarringPage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
CinematographySam Levy
Edited byJennifer Lame
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  • RT Features
  • Pine District Pictures
  • Scott Rudin Productions
Distributed byIFC Films
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Running time
86 minutes[2]
Template:Pluralize from textUnited States
Template:Pluralize from textEnglish
Budget$3 million[3]
Box office$11.3 million[3]

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Frances Ha is a 2012 American comedy drama film directed by Noah Baumbach. It is written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, who also stars as Frances, a struggling 27-year-old dancer whose career and social life begin imploding at the same time that her best friend's life begins taking off. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2012, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on May 17, 2013, by IFC Films.

Plot

After graduating from Vassar College, best friends Frances and Sophie move to Brooklyn. They dream of becoming successful creatives. Frances becomes an apprentice at a dance company and juggles gigs while she waits for an opening on the permanent corps de ballet. Sophie works in publishing.

At 27, Frances is still struggling to make it in New York. She breaks up with her boyfriend at the same time that Sophie announces that she is moving to Tribeca, a more upscale neighborhood, with a different (and presumably richer) friend. Although Sophie assures Frances that they will remain friends, Frances is wounded. She rents a spare room in Chinatown with her friends Lev and Benji, two affluent creatives whose parents help pay their rent.

Frances and Sophie continue growing apart, both personally and lifestyle-wise. Sophie's boyfriend Patch is a well-paid Goldman Sachs employee, and Frances bitterly complains to Sophie that the latter's attention is shifting to Patch. By contrast, Frances's boss Colleen begins easing Frances out of the dance company, as the odds are low that Frances will ever make the permanent roster. She denies Frances a crucial Christmas gig, which Frances needs to pay her rent. Frances moves out of Lev and Benji's apartment.

Frances goes home to Sacramento for Christmas. She finds home warm but confining and unglamorous, and returns to New York. She briefly stays with her coworker Rachel, but their personalities clash.

Frances learns that Patch has been offered a promotion and a move to Goldman's Tokyo office, and that Sophie is quitting her job to be with him. Although the move is in just two weeks, Sophie still has not told Frances. To feel better about herself, Frances impulsively flies to Paris for the weekend. She plans the trip poorly, and does not get much from the experience. During the trip, Sophie belatedly calls Frances to tell her about the move but Frances's wounds are still fresh.

Colleen offers Frances an office job and suggests that Frances switch from dancing to choreography. Offended, Frances lies that she is getting work at a different dance company. She returns to Vassar to work as a waitress and summer resident assistant. She finds the work embarrassing, and enviously reads Sophie's blog of her life in Tokyo.

One night, Frances runs into Sophie and Patch while waitressing at an alumni fundraiser. Although Sophie and Patch are now engaged, they are not happy. Sophie drunkenly insults Patch in public and asks to stay with Frances for the night. Sophie admits to Frances that she dislikes Japan and wants to break up with Patch. She adds that she suffered a miscarriage and felt relieved about it. The next morning, Sophie explains that she was drunk and that she will, in fact, be returning to Japan with Patch. A devastated Frances watches Sophie drive away.

Some time later, Frances accepts Colleen's office job and enjoys a modest but satisfying existence as a fledgling choreographer. She manages to get her own apartment in Manhattan, albeit in Washington Heights instead of Tribeca. She is on reasonably good terms with Sophie, whom she still calls her best friend. She begins dating Benji.

Frances moves into her apartment. To mark her new mailbox, she writes her name, Frances Halladay, onto a slip of paper. Her full last name does not fit in the mailbox slot, so she folds the paper to read: "Frances Ha".

Cast

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Production

Frances Ha was directed by Noah Baumbach, and written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig. Gerwig, who also stars in the film, announced it in April 2012, though Baumbach's involvement was not revealed until the film's listing in the Telluride Film Festival's lineup. Gerwig had starred in Baumbach's 2010 film Greenberg, and they decided to collaborate again.[4] They exchanged ideas, developed characters and eventually co-wrote the script. Gerwig has said that she did not anticipate starring in the film as well, but Baumbach thought she suited the part. Filming locations included New York City, Sacramento, Paris and at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, Baumbach's alma mater.[5]

Gerwig cited Joseph Conrad's novella The Shadow-Line and Woody Allen's film Annie Hall (1977) as inspirations for the film. Baumbach and Gerwig also have cited the films of the French New Wave and Woody Allen as influences, as well as Something Wild (1986) and Lost in America (1985) which they watched during the production.[6][7]

In the bonus features on the home-video release, the filmmakers said that the film was shot in the style of French New Wave cinema, with the tools of a student filmmaker. Even though the production had both the budget for and access to professional-level cinema cameras and lenses, they chose to use the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a consumer-grade photographic camera that can record high-definition video. Instead of adapting professional cinema lenses, as other cinematographers have done when working with that camera, they used Canon L-series EF prime and zoom lenses designed for still photography. They mostly used a 50mm prime lens and a 70–200mm zoom lens, rarely employing 35mm and 85mm prime lenses because they lacked the mechanics and features common among cinema lenses (when paired with the camera’s large full-frame sensor, they make it difficult to maintain focus). By using a very small camera and extremely limited lighting equipment, the production could quickly and easily move locations without attracting much attention. Without large crews, elaborate sets, and special visual effects, the production could afford to shoot around the world on a fairly limited budget.

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack includes a song by Felix Laband and references multiple French films; it contains music by Georges Delerue, Jean Constantin and Antoine Duhamel, who originally wrote for films of the French New Wave.[9]

Release

Frances Ha premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2012.[10] The Los Angeles Times said "audiences seemed pleasantly surprised by the warmth from the often-mordant Baumbach."[5] The film also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2012,[11] after which IFC Films acquired North and Latin American rights to distribute the film in theaters.[12] Frances Ha also screened at the New York Film Festival on September 30, 2012,[4] and at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2013.[13]

The film had a limited release in the United States on May 17, 2013,[1] and was released on Blu-ray and DVD on the Criterion Collection label on November 12, 2013.[14]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives Frances Ha a 92% approval rating based on 192 reviews, with an average score of 7.80/10. The website's critical consensus is: "Audiences will need to tolerate a certain amount of narrative drift, but thanks to sensitive direction from Noah Baumbach and an endearing performance from Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha makes it easy to forgive."[15] Metacritic calculated an average score of 82 out of 100 based on 35 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]

Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice praised Gerwig's performance, writing, "It's a relief that Frances Ha isn't as assertively frank, in the 'Look, ma, no shame!' way, as Girls. And this is partly Gerwig's vision, too. No other movie has allowed her to display her colors like this. Frances is a little dizzy and frequently maddening, but Gerwig is precise in delineating the character's loopiness: Her lines always hit just behind the beat, like a jazz drummer who pretends to flub yet knows exactly what's up".[17]

Peter Debruge, reviewing for Variety, described Frances Ha: "This modest monochromatic lark doesn't present a story—or even a traditional sequence of scenes—so much as it offers spirited glimpses into the never-predictable life of Frances, a 27-year-old dancer." He said Frances was "a character whose unexceptional concerns and everyday foibles prove as compelling as any New York-set concept picture, delivering an affectionate, stylishly black-and-white portrait of a still-unfledged Gotham gal".[10] Sarah Galo of Mic also noted that Frances Ha “is really quite daring in its portrayal of female friendship. Frances and Sophie go through the motions of being BFFs to breaking up to being reunited in the end.”[18]

The Los Angeles Times highlighted Gerwig's foray as part of a trend of female actors becoming writers or co-writers; other examples include Zoe Kazan with Ruby Sparks and Rashida Jones with Celeste and Jesse Forever.[19] Baumbach filmed Frances Ha with his cinematographer Sam Levy digitally and in black-and-white, the latter to emulate, in part, collaborations by Woody Allen and his cinematographer Gordon Willis, in films like Manhattan (1979).[5] CBS News compared Frances HaTemplate:'s style to the works of Woody Allen, Jim Jarmusch and François Truffaut.[20]

In 2015, it was included on Olivier Assayas' list of his 10 favorite film for Criterion Collection. In 2025 it ranked number 90 on The New York TimesTemplate:' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list, finishing at number 125.[21][22]

Accolades

Year Category Nominee Result Ref.
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Comedy or Musical Greta Gerwig Nominated [23]
Independent Spirit Awards Best Feature Frances Ha Nominated [24]
Best Editing Jennifer Lame Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress in a Comedy Greta Gerwig Nominated [25]
British Independent Film Awards Best International Independent Film Frances Ha Nominated [26]
London Film Critics Circle Film Awards Film of the Year Frances Ha Nominated [27]
Actress of the Year Greta Gerwig Nominated
Technical Achievement Sam Levy Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Greta Gerwig 2nd Runner-up [28]
Casting Society of America Casting - Low Budget Feature Douglas Aibel
Henry Russell Bergstein 		Nominated [29]
IndieWire Critics Poll Best Film Frances Ha 10th Place [23]
Best Lead Performance Greta Gerwig Nominated
Best Screenplay Noah Baumbach
Greta Gerwig		 Nominated
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Best Picture Frances Ha Nominated [30]
Best Actress Greta Gerwig Nominated
Bodil Awards Best American Film Frances Ha Nominated [31]
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Audience Award Noah Baumbach 3rd place [32]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Best Actress Greta Gerwig Nominated [33]

See also

References

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  1. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jagernauth, Keith (November 30, 2012). "Noah Baumbach's 'Frances Ha' Gets Spring 2013 Release Date; 'End Of Watch' Coming Back To Theaters Next Week". The Playlist. indieWire. Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FRANCES HA (15)". British Board of Film Classification. June 26, 2013. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances Ha". The Numbers. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rosen, Christopher (October 1, 2012). "'Frances Ha' At New York Film Festival: Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach Bring Their 'Pop Song' To New York". The Huffington Post.
  5. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Olsen, Mark (September 7, 2012). "'Frances Ha' bonds Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances Ha's Greta Gerwig on Lena Dunham, Woody Allen, and Her Dream of Directing". Miami New Times. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach Talk "Frances Ha" and Falling In Love". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brody, Richard (May 15, 2013). ""Frances Ha" and the Pursuit of Happiness". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Eggert, Brian (April 4, 2016), Frances Ha (2013), Deep Focus Review, retrieved June 6, 2018
  10. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Debruge, Peter (September 1, 2012). "Frances Ha". Variety.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances Ha". tiff.net. Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McNary, Dave (September 20, 2012). "IFC Films closes U.S. on 'Frances Ha'". Variety.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Edinburgh Film Festival programme unveiled". May 29, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances Ha (2013) - The Criterion Collection". Criterion.com. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances Ha (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances Ha Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Zacharek, Stephanie (May 15, 2013). "Greta Gerwig Stars in Noah Baumbach's Dating Manual, Frances Ha". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on May 19, 2013.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'Frances Ha' Review: Noah Baumbach Movie Explores Female Friendship, 20-Something Woes". Mic. June 3, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Olsen, Mark (September 7, 2012). "'Frances Ha' bonds Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved November 15, 2017. With this foray into screenwriting, Gerwig, 29, has become part of a current wave of actresses writing or co-writing their own material, a group that includes Zoe Kazan ("Ruby Sparks") and Rashida Jones ("Celeste and Jesse Forever").
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Morgan, David (September 30, 2012). "N.Y. Film Festival: Noah Baumbach's whimsical 'Frances Ha'". CBS News.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Readers Choose Their Top Movies of the 21st Century". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century". June 23, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances Ha - IMDb". IMDb.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."2014 Spirit Awards: '12 Years A Slave', 'All Is Lost', 'Frances Ha', 'Inside Llewyn Davis' & 'Nebraska' Nab Best Feature Noms". Deadline Hollywood. November 26, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."19th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards Nominations". Broadcast Film Critics Association. December 16, 2013. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Nominations 2013: BIFA". British Independent Film Awards. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."London Critics' Circle Announces 2014 Film Awards Nominations". The Critics' Circle. London Film Critics Circle. December 17, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."TFCA Announces 2013 Awards". Toronto Film Critics Association. December 16, 2013. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Artios Awards: Casting Society Reveals 2013 Nominees". Variety. August 19, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Central Ohio Film Critics Award Nominations". Indiewire. January 3, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Denmark's Bodil Prizes: 'Nympho-maniac', 'The Hunt' Lead Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. January 7, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Black Nights Film Fest Breaks Audience Record". Estonian Public Broadcasting. December 4, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."And the 2014 VFCC Nominees Are..." Vancouver Film Critics Circle. December 22, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2014.

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