Think of all the autobiographies of famous artists (of all types) you've read. Whether painters, musicians, writers, actors or whatever, they all say that to succeed you have to dedicate your life unrelentingly to your art and persist for sometimes years or even decades before attaining success. Problem is, even modest success is not guaranteed. Think of all the artists who achieved fame only after death and the myriads more who tried lifelong but were never celebrated at all. Dancers are more like athletes, however, in that most will be over the hill at about 35. Someone who is a very talented triple threat (gifted singer and actor as well as dancer) may be able to extend this time by switching to musical comedy or more general entertainment. However at 27, Frances must face the fact that, if she has not gained entrance to a company yet, she has too few performance years left for people to continue "investing" in her as an apprentice. Even if she were already a full-fledged company member, at this stage she should be thinking ahead to the next phase of her life. Other friends and acquaintances have already segued into more advanced stages of their careers. Luckily, from the company's director we learn that she has talent not only as a teacher but as a choreographer. You can see that she does have an unrelenting creative drive, compelling her to run everywhere and do grand jetes crossing the street. To eventually have her own school and troupe, one hopes she had at least minored in business in college. However, the director is also ready to hire her as the office administrator, which will not only give her a steady source of income but should offer practical experience. As a perk, she can use the studio, for free, to develop her own group. Wow! All things considered, this is a really happy ending.
Review of Frances Ha
Frances Ha
(2012)
The happiest ending one could realistically hope for.
26 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers