Noah Baumbach’s films are largely character studies, and Frances Ha’s Frances Halliday—portrayed and co-created by Greta Gerwig, who shares screenwriting credit—is a study in contradictions. A dancer whose career is coming to an end before it ever really took off. At twenty-seven, Frances is at that awkward, transitional period in life where she’s too old to relive her carefree college years, but too young to have truly set down any roots. She looking for something or someone to hold on to, some way to fit in, but that goal seems just out of her reach. Frances best friend and roommate, Sophie (Mickey Sumner) is moving out of their Brooklyn apartment, leaving Frances without a permanent place to live.

Much of the story is seen through the prism of Frances’ friendship with Sophie. When they are together, Frances is happy and has some sense of purpose. Now with Sophie gone, Frances apartment hops—from Brooklyn to Poughkeepsie, Sacramento to Paris, she flits about, attempting to fill the Sophie void, but always returning to a party of one. Growing even more desperate after she loses her job, Frances fights to maintain her sunny disposition, even as circumstances threaten to bury her.

It’s both unusual and brave of Noah Baumbach to use a female as the central character in a story about immaturity, and the fear of adult responsibilities. When we first meet Frances, she is with Sophie in a park, and the two are wrestling with glee. Minutes later, they’re urinating on a subway line. It’s quickly established that while these women are chronologically adults, they are staving off that reality. By the second half of the film, Sophie has matured, fallen in love, and decided to move in with her boyfriend. Frances meanwhile, still wishes to stay somewhere between adolescence and adulthood, where she feels safe and secure.

Frances is the kind of young woman who looks at the world with rose colored glasses. She believes she will find that special someone someday. They’ll meet and just know instantly they were meant to be together. She’s the kind of flighty, hopeful character found in a lot of French New Wave films; if Frances does find what she’s looking for, her naivety will cause her a lot of disappointment and heartbreak along the way.

Shot with a Canon 5D digital camera and subsequently color corrected, the film’s black and white imagery looks appropriate, though it’s very clear that Baumbach was aiming to replicate the New Wave style.

Presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Criterion’s 1080p transfer is extremely sharp. Likely due to the digitally conversion, the grayscale doesn’t match the best black and white transfers out there. However, the blacks are consistent throughout, and the whites are crisp.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix offers clear dialogue from the center channel, and various pieces of music come crisply through the fronts and rears, with some notable heft. Sound effects are surprisingly limited, not providing a sense of New York City and Paris as one might expect. Granted, this is likely due to budget constraints.

English SDH subtitles are available.

The following extras are included:

  • Noah Baumbach/Peter Bogdanovich Interview (HD, 15:21) Recorded for Criterion in June 2013, director and co-writer Noah Baumbach discusses how Frances Ha came to be, and its structure and style with filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich.
  • Greta Gerwig/Sarah Polley Interview (HD, 17:00) Recorded for Criterion in July 2013, Greta Gerwig discusses her contribution to Frances Ha, the films themes, and Baumbach’s directing style with actress/filmmaker Sarah Polley.
  • Interpreting Reality (HD, 18:19) Produced by Criterion in 2013, this piece finds director Noah Baumbach, director of photography Sam Levy, and colorist Pascal Dangin discussing the look of the film, and some of the challenges they faced to achieve it.
  • Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:56)
  • Booklet: An eighteen-page illustrated booklet featuring Annie Baker’s essay “The Green Girl” and technical information about the transfer.