Saint Frances

The average rating on this is far higher than the film merits. It is fairly entertaining, but too self-conscious and self-congratulatory to have any genuine weight. It contains the contemporary, woke worldview of a teenager brought up on social media. The male characters are appallingly simplistic and one dimensional in that same way feminist film critics complained about (either utterly supportive and devoid of any character beyond being easy-going and supportive, or egotistical children). Not so much a film in its own right as a "correction". It's like an "everybody's a victim except heterosexual men" piece , written by a bitter women's studies graduate. Abortion? That's absolutely fine, more of a lifestyle choice than the killing of a developing baby, and only bad people disagree. Simplistic left wing tract. Watch Francess Ha, or 20th Century Women. Far, far superior.

Far from what i expected for a comedy/drama. Far from expectations after seing it ranking no1 in rotten.

Amazing movie. Loved It!

I enjoyed this film in terms of seeing how Bridget interacted and befriended the young Frances. It's fair to say both people learn something and there are some genuinely amusing moments - it is categorised as a comedy film, though I wouldn't by any means say its constantly laugh out loud funny, it has some nice moments, some moments that made me smirk or smile, sure...its quite a nice film with some good themes and the like, though not a typical slapstick comedy type film. There are some genuinely poignant moments present, I felt. I liked the tone the film ends on and what it represents, in a way. It's a somewhat insightful and I'd say its got an uplifting element to it, yes, so yeah, its a good film I'd say. Not earth-shattering or anything but certainly not a bad film, its a good watch and a film I'd recommend, yes.

I loved the way Saint Frances handles itself. It's confident, tender hearted, and graceful. It sends a lot of thematic messaging to its story without feeling trite or heavy handed - the "lessons" it teaches deserve to be there and aren't forced. I particularly loved the married couple Bridget nannies for as their post-birth relationship felt so real. The story is so honest in showing how dishonest the characters can be - and when it all comes spilling out the happy/sad release is incredibly gratifying. It's just a really well done movie.

Interesting and Relevant but Can't be Saved in the End I decided to watch the movie based on great critics reviews and ratings, which were so high we might expect the film to gain instant access into the criterion collection. The themes of the movie have great potential, tackling uncomfortable and difficult topics from a woman's point of view that haven't been seen before. While initially, those unique themes provide viewers with tangible material that might move us to shock, embarrassment, and outrage, by the end of the film I felt tricked. The themes that originally make the film a unique opportunity to tackle new ground become so layered and strategically placed, that by the end of the film we sense that we have been setup to swallow almost 2 hours of continuous woman's issues and cultural taboos - our gag reflexes become engaged. Undeveloped characters and unresolved concerns are too much for one (short) movie to take on while keeping the story telling natural and the audience believing and empathetic to the issues the characters experience. In then end, the story of a woman (Bridget) who unexpectedly finds new life perspectives from the influence of a little girl (Frances) still touches us and permeates through the pretentiousness. Although this element of the film might have been it's saving grace, it isn't strong enough for me to redeem Saint Frances.

Refreshingly honest, humoristic and most unapologetic, this woman empowering comedy is all about declining obligatory feministic heroism to apprise taboo modern woman challenges in the likes of pro-choice decisions, lesbian parenting and postpartum depression.

A little too slow, but overall ok+. A woman has an abortion then becomes a nanny to a lesbian couple. Soon she becomes as close to them as family. Several 'KARENS' are in the movie.

More a post-modern woke check list rather than a fully developed film (this coming from someone who considers themselves to be a little closer to woke on the spectrum, I just don't think this can replace proper story telling). Even as a squishy melodrama soap it fails. Or as an exercise in boundary pushing, bodily function positivity. Or as a realist exploration of individuals and relationships in mundane moments of stress and crisis. However, it's main failing is it's profound emptiness and lack of likeable characters (except for Frances who is delightful despite being mistreated by all of the other characters). In the more tender scenes that have the potential for a bit of substance and heart, it descends into a series of toilet jokes which (if being generous) have a normalising function at first but end up becoming the main crux of almost every scene. Exhausting.

Although it could be described as a coming of age story, Saint Frances does an incredible job of tackling very heavy subject matter head on with humour. Although I rarely laughed, that's certainly not a bad thing; it hit me in a different way to many others. I found the approach to the material shocking, in the best possible way because it made the film so effective, appealing to someone who would find it amusing, and also someone like me who was shocked, but greatly admired the film makers handing. After an abortion, thirty four year old Bridget struggles with the aftermath, and what she wants from life in general (that bit i can relate to). She takes a post as a nanny and slowly forms a bond with the six year old she is caring for. Kelly O'Sullivan writes, and is terrific in the lead role, taking you through all the emotions, even if your emotions are at odds with her own, that's what makes this work.