Mistress America
At this point, the story of a young woman being thrown into the harsh realities of the big city (usually New York) and having to make it on her own – while learning some life lessons and making some friends along the way, of course – is one that’s been told too many times. Mistress America begins in retelling such a tale, opening with Tracy (Lola Kirke), a college freshman in the Big Apple, struggling to adjust to city life. But instead of meeting a nice boy or finding the right crowd, she gets Greta Gerwig. And that’s where the fun begins.
Gerwig, in her third impressive collaboration with director Noah Baumbach, plays Brooke, a weird, carefree, mess of a 30-something who Tracy quickly grows to idolize. In their relationship throughout the film, there is no true romance for either of them and no standard wrenches are thrown into the plot. This film survives in finding an unexplored area of the female relationship spectrum: the gray area between best friends and mentor-mentee.
“Usually women don’t get to tell these kinds of stories,” Gerwig said in a Q&A after a screening. “Or we don’t get to tell the type of stories that are different from a romantic story. It’s less that the kernel of the story is gender specific and more that it’s just not something women are asked to do most of the time.”
Gerwig has shown over time that she can thrive in this type of role, most notably in the remarkably good Frances Ha. Her work in Mistress America is not at that level, but it comes very close, another clear sign of development in the actress’s career. Kirke, on the other hand, is still plotting out a path to take those steps, as this is one of her first big roles. Luckily for us, her raspy voice and semi-awkwardly forthcoming demeanor grow infectious; by the end of the film her performance turns into the type that makes you yearn for quantity. It was not flawless, but it made me want Kirke to be in more features sooner rather than later, if only to speed up the process of her ascension.
Gerwig and Baumbach, the writers of the film who also collaborated to create Frances, spent time watching old screwball comedies in preparation for Mistress and that shows in the movie’s shining dialogue, a carefully crafted game of speedball that’s all at once funny, smart and, at times, touching.
“After we made Frances, it was a great collaboration – both writing together and the way we made it,” Gerwig said. “We found this way to make it really small but still get a lot of freedom and a lot of days. We shot this movie in 60 days because Noah is a perfectionist.”
In terms of indie charm, this movie does it just about perfectly. The quirkiness and authenticity of its characters are so unique and reminiscent of Baumbach’s high points (in Frances and in The Squid and the Whale). It’s refreshing to see movie that balances such a casual, creative vibe with standard attention to detail and professionalism. In this sense, Baumbach seems to be working on a rarely-inhabited middle ground of sorts. With each release, his unique talents become more apparent.
With a plotline that doesn’t need much to live off of, two performances that feel real and previously unseen at the same time and a script that’s reminiscent of some of the very best works of old Hollywood, Mistress America is a ton of fun.
