Frances Ha (2012)
Chosen by Agathe technically as she supplied me the dvd but I'd been wanting to get around to it for ages. And I don't do the thing where people give introductions anymore. But she likes it and mentioned watching it every couple of months with a friend for a while.
Absolutely charming, even while you are being frustrated by the main character's nature.
That the frustration never hardens into resentment is down to a winning, personable performance from co-writer Greta Gerwig and the low key reality of all the little choices she makes to mess up her life (turning down a sensible job offer, putting a trip to Paris on a credit card).
Despite the film constantly throwing barriers both self inflicted and otherwise in front of Frances it's never a slog (indeed it's a brisk 80mins and change), never too dour and relentlessly upbeat. Finding a cool place to live for a short while may not be the most life changing event but it is rewarded with a delightful dance through the streets to Bowie's Modern Love.
It makes an interesting companion piece to the recently reviewed on these pages Jules et Jim in that it is a massive love letter to the nouvelle vague films. Filmed in black and white, using musical cues and references (though the Modern Love dance is riffing from a later French piece - 1986's Mauvais Sang) it is a film filled with character but little incident.
A delight.
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