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People have been trying to figure out 20-somethings at least since Dustin Hoffman unzipped Anne Bancroft's dress. In 2010, The New York Times Magazine
ran a late-to-the-game article about a "new" life stage called
"emerging adulthood" (a phrase coined by a psychology researcher a
decade before) when self-indulgence and self-discovery collide. The
exuberant and disarming Frances Ha is a portrait of one
such emerging adult, shot in resplendent black-and-white and scored like
a French New Wave film. As played with haphazard elegance by Greta
Gerwig, Frances is a 27-year-old aspiring dancer in New York City still
lurching through the obstacle course of a privileged post-collegiate
life. Gerwig strips her performance of affect or cutesiness; unlike
those manic pixie dream girls, she's not being quirky just to snag a
guy. In one of the loveliest moments, David Bowie's "Modern Love" plays
as Frances spins through the streets. Backpack bouncing, floral-print
dress cutting a contrast with the crosswalk striping, she's every bit
the emerging adult: aimless yet hopeful, self-absorbed yet in wide-eyed
awe at the big, beautiful world.
- Playing at: Laurelhurst.
- Best paired with: 10 Barrel Swill.
- Also playing: The Breakfast Club (Academy), Pacific Rim (Hollywood).
WWeek 2015