Frances Ha (2012)

Noah Baumbach’s American black-and-white comedy-drama, Frances Ha (2012), stars Greta Gerwig as the titular character. Frances is a 27-year-old dancer living in New York City with her college best friend, Sophie. However, their living arrangement is disrupted when Sophie announces she will be moving to her dream neighborhood, Tribeca, with another friend. As a struggling apprentice at a dance company, Frances cannot afford the Brooklyn apartment on her own and must find alternative housing. She temporarily moves in with friends Lev and Benji in Chinatown. Meanwhile, Sophie’s relationship with her boyfriend Patch grows closer, causing tension between her and Frances. Adding to her troubles, Frances learns that she is no longer needed for the dance company’s Christmas show, leaving her unable to pay for the apartment.

For Christmas, she travels to her hometown of Sacramento to reunite with her family and catch up with old high school friends. While there, her fellow dancer from the company, Rachel, graciously offers her a place to stay for a few weeks. One evening, during dinner with Rachel’s family, Frances learns that Sophie has left her job at Random House and is moving to Tokyo with Patch. On a whim, Frances decides to treat herself to a couple of quiet days in Paris, using a credit card for payment. Upon returning to Vassar—her alma mater—she takes on the role of both waitress and summer resident assistant. However, due to being overworked and not allowed to take classes, Frances turns to reading Sophie’s blog about her new life in Tokyo instead.