I love films and I love knitting, so when the two merge I get so excited I lose all my senses. In a darkened movie theatre I’ll shout, “Oh my gosh! She’s knitting!” My fellow movie-goers will then shush me or turn around in their seats to frown disapprovingly. But I can’t be bothered because I’ve found a Knitting Movie Moment. Aww yeah!
Finding a Knitting Movie Moment is like stumbling across a twenty-dollar bill on the sidewalk or realising you’re entitled to a free froyo because you’ve got a full set of stamps on your loyalty card. It’s a delightful surprise!
So, when I catch a Knitting Movie Moment, my first instinct, after squealing in delight, is to figure out WHY. Why did the filmmaker, songwriter or author write knitting into the work? What role is it playing? In other words, I like to analyse. It’s a habit from my days as an English lit major.
So, let’s have fun and analyse this recent Knitting Movie Moment in Frances Ha!
If you’re a struggling millennial with artistic aspirations then Frances Ha will probably speak to you in some way. The title character, Frances, played adorably by Greta Gerwig, is a clumsy, likeable, fairly undisciplined twenty-something who longs to be a professional dancer. When we meet her, she’s teaching children how to dance and temping at a local dance company.
Frances lives with her best friend, Sophie, who works at a publishing house. They share an apartment and have a casual intimacy that only best friends have: they play fight, sleep in the same bed, have highbrow and lowbrow conversations and get up to all kinds of shenanigans. It’s like dorm life extended into adulthood.
Then, one day Sophie gets a boyfriend and moves out of the apartment. She’s upwardly mobile and Frances is lost and alone. This is where the movie gets interesting. What will Frances do? How will she become her own person? More than anything, this movie is about finding your place in the world.
Where Does Knitting Appear? Right at the beginning! It’s part of the opening montage before the title credits. Look for it!
The Knitting, What Does it Mean? Knitting’s brief moment occurs before Sophie leaves, when the friendship is still safe and warm. I think the knitting conveys both coziness and intimacy (what’s cozier than knitting with your best friend as she reads out loud to you?) and being a hipster. Somehow, if you wear thick-framed glasses while knitting, you are a certified hipster. Hey! I don’t make the rules!
Have you seen Frances Ha? If so, what did you think? Were you as charmed by it as I was? Also, note to US and Canadian friends: it’s now on Netflix! Woot!
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