Freances Ha is an 2012 independent American comedy.

What is "independent cinema"?

Produced and distributed out of the major film studio system (Hollywood).

History traced back in 1908, when big corp (Edison) claimed monopoly on movie industry, through patents, political lobbying, etc. It was broken by court few years later, but big studios appeared with monopolistic behaviors (oligopoly) through business with cinema should look like. Some didn't agree: cf. United Artists. Similar in other countries: Germany...

Later: Chaplin, Orson Welles, New Hollywood... In the 90s, big commercial successes, Sundance, thanks to Robert Redford.

Of course this is more complex than putting things into such boxes: great movies come from big studios, crap from others, and there's no clear border. But in general, freedom of creativity, diversity, etc. is more vibrant out of big time commercial systems. Typical in-betweens: Steven Soderberg, Terrence Malick, Richard Linklater, Jim Jarmush coming from indie scene, making through big studios.

New waves

Many countries had their "New waves", including India (Satyajit Ray, Ritvik Gatak, Mrinal Sen, then Kumar Shahina, Mani Kaul): movements disruptive of the established system. In those, the French one is historically often seen as the most important one for their creative and success stories.

In this movie, the freedom of tone is reminiscent from Truffaut, Godard. Some music by Georges Delerue, a main composer of the Nouvelle Vague. The choice of black and white is also an obvious reference to this movement.

Today

Now the situation can be worse: big studios are owned and run by conglomerates and financial institutions, far from the cinema pioneers. Budgets concentrated on very few superproductions with little risks. On the other hand, technology to make a movie can now be dirt cheap.

Can be low budget.

Modern: lot of variety.

Mumblecore: indie movies

Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig

Born in 1969, Brooklyn, New York. Initially a script writer. Gerwig was 29, and already multi-faceted talent. 5 movies with collaborations. They married last december after 12 years of relationship, which started during the making of their first collaboration: "Greenberg".

The movie

Shot in B&W, helped Baumbach to see the city with new eyes and giving a nostalgic feeling.

About friendship, coming of age for adults, responsibilities in life, growing up for grown ups.

Baumbach: "I think all [my movies] are essentially about transition," he says, "and about squaring who you want to be with who you actually are."