Frances Ha (2012)

Directed by Noah Baumbach, this is a poignant comedy-drama about friendship, growing up and loneliness.

Greta Gerwig stars as a 27-year-old New Yorker trying to find her way in life. We follow Frances as she flits between jobs and apartments, unsure of what she should do with herself. The common threads are her wish to be a dancer and her unconditional love for her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner). 

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.

Lady Bird (2017)

Greta Gerwig’s sweet and compassionate drama about a teenage girl’s coming of age in Sacramento, California. 

Saoirse Ronan plays Christine, a.k.a. Lady Bird, who has a complicated relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf) and indeed with herself. It’s beautifully observed, with moments of comedy and pathos. I was reminded of Woody Allen at his best. 

Beanie Feldstein is especially likeable as Lady Bird’s best friend Julie. 

The mother/daughter topic somehow recalls the Susan Sarandon/Natalie Portman pair-up in Anywhere but Here (1999), although this is a more nuanced and subtle treatment of that subject matter.