Like all the best biopics, it doesn’t attempt to cram a complete life story into two hours. Instead, it zooms in on one moment in that life and uses it to explore the character in depth.
It’s impressionistic, without losing sight of dialogue and storytelling. Natalie Portman gives the performance of a lifetime as Jacqueline Kennedy.
It’s sad and disturbing, perfectly capturing her mixture of shock, anger and loss.
It’s charming and often very funny, but deeply melancholy too. It’s shot in black and white, and the street scenes of New York (and briefly Paris) look stunning. There’s a wonderful scene in which she runs across the streets to the sounds of “Modern Love” by David Bowie.
It seems to be highly influenced by Woody Allen (see Annie Hall and Manhattan), but it has greater emotional depth. Gerwig is incredibly believable and endearing.
Unlike so many films, Frances Ha stayed with me for quite a while afterwards.
