On the 20s with Frances Ha

A few years ago The New York Times published an article about how the decade of the 20s has become the decade for self discover. Now it is the 30s where young men and women start to think about marriage, jobs etc. A decade later than their parents.

Frances Ha is a film very much about this phenomenon. The film joins Frances at the age of 27 as she tangles with her career, her relationships, her friendships and even her accommodation. Everything is uncertain and Frances, like her other 20 something friends, like it this way. They are picking careers like pick ‘n mix, increasing their circle of friends exponentially, moving around the city, experiencing the neighbourhoods and making impulsive decisions. This is what, according to The Times the 20s is now, a time to experiment so that in the 30s, decisions are made with experience.

Although it deals with a very real occurrence that many of its audience will relate to, the film itself, like those of the French nouvelle vauge it references is very self aware, almost fantastical. It is shot beautifully in black and white (are there two cities better suited to film than New York City and Paris?) and the script paints these characters with a fluid intellectualism made commercial by Dawson’s Creek (1998 – 2003).

The film succeeds in evoking that period of uncertainty, both scary and exciting, before settled life begins and is charming and genuinely funny. For those of the generation, it will be hard to fault, as it is perceptive without being aggressive with its message.