One of the Best Coming-of-Age Movies Ever Made Starring Greta Gerwig Is Now Available on Netflix

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It’s hard to resist a good coming-of-age story, and, now, one of the best movies of the genre has made its way to Netflix. An indie darling starring Greta Gerwig and directed by Noah Baumbach, Frances Ha debuts on the streaming giant this weekend, and is an absolute must-watch. Their first-ever writing collaboration, it features Gerwig’s best acting performance in a role that pretty much defined her career as an actor and screenwriter. It’s actually returning to Netflix after a year, but that doesn’t mean you should sleep on it; who knows where it’ll be next?

As a movie, Frances Ha feels as if the French New Wave took place in New York in the early 2010s, with crisp black-and-white photography, great dialogue, and a protagonist who is struggling to adapt to adult life while everyone around her appears to have it all figured out. It’s a deeply relatable premise for anyone who ever experienced the pains of growing up, even those of us who might have taken a little longer in the process.

13 Years After Its Release, ‘Frances Ha’ Has Become a Must-Watch of the Coming-of-Age Genre

As a coming-of-age movie, Frances Ha is rather unique in the sense that its protagonist, Frances Halladay (Gerwig), is actually 27 years old — a grown woman. She’s an idealistic dancer trying to make it in New York while enjoying the company of her best friend and roommate, Sophie (Mickey Sumner), and meeting new and exciting people all the time. However, things take a wrong turn for Frances when Sophie suddenly tells her that she’s moving in with another friend, leaving Frances to fend for herself in a city where everything has a steep price.

From then on, Frances goes on an emotional rollercoaster as she tries to find new people with whom to share an affordable apartment and simply make ends meet. Learning that other people have different priorities is never easy, and may feel like lagging behind while everyone else is way ahead with their accomplishments in life. For Frances, though, it’s almost a shock treatment, as she is suddenly confronted by the reality that she isn’t as high among other people’s priorities as they are for her. Having to learn how to rely on yourself is one of the most difficult parts of growing up, and Frances has to do it the hard way.

Sometimes, growing up might look different for those without a safety net, and that’s okay. It’s not necessarily about your age, but where you find yourself in life, and that’s what Frances He is really about: the beauty and excitement of small victories and allowing yourself the room to mature without freaking out. If that’s what gets us the energy to sprint across Manhattan to the sound of David Bowie’s “Modern Love” as it does Frances, then okay. Everyone will eventually grow up one way or another, but life isn’t a race, so we should all take the time to appreciate the process, too.

Her Work on ‘Frances Ha’ Was a Turning Point in Greta Gerwig’s Career

Nowadays, Greta Gerwig may be a household name in the industry, with her distinct style and mobilizing a-listers for her projects, but she was once best known in indie circles for her naturalistic performances in the mumblecore movement. Frances Ha is arguably Gerwig’s best performance, and it feels like it gave her the same kind of confidence that Frances herself finds in the movie, like she finally found her footing in terms of storytelling. It’s no wonder she went on to get more space to tell her stories after Frances Ha, and that her voice continues to reach wider audiences who relate to it.

Although she shares screenwriting credits with director Noah Baumbach, Frances undoubtedly feels more like Gerwig herself, complete with the trademark wry humor and anxieties that her protagonists share. Through her writing and performance, she imbues Frances with a mix of awkwardness and brilliance that is easily comparable to the heroines in her later movies, from Lady Bird‘s Christine (Saoirse Ronan), to even Barbie herself (Margot Robbie) — idealistic, funny, and always in motion. As relatable as all these characters may be, though, Frances feels incredibly real, as someone who might as well be out there right now living up the movie’s story.

Looking back now, it’s easy to see Frances Ha as a kind of “creative bridge” between Gerwig’s earlier mumblecore years to publicly acclaimed movies like Lady Bird and Little Women. The hallmarks of her voice are already here: sharp dialogue, emotional sincerity, and a deep empathy for flawed young women finding their way. Frances’ embarrassment at not being “a real person yet” is heartbreaking, but it perfectly summarizes Gerwig’s whole style and voice, almost as if we could pinpoint the exact moment where the amazing artist we know today truly began to emerge.

At its core, it honestly feels that Frances Ha isn’t just about growing up, but rather about staying open to the idea that you never really finish. This, along with how it sets up Greta Gerwig as one of the best storytellers in current Hollywood, makes it one of the best movies in Netflix’s catalog now that it’s back, and a mandatory watch for anyone who likes the coming-of-age genre or simply enjoys sensible stories with a masterful artistic touch. For those who have already watched, then it’s just unwrapping a gift all over again.

Frances Ha is now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.