Saint Frances

"Frances" deals with a lot of hot issues, like abortion, acceptance no matter gender, orientation,and past mistakes and it tackles them all with immense heart, exploring other personal themes, such as depression and life's crisis, all with such a human touch that it's hard not to connect to these characters. Kelly O Sullivan is so natural in this role that it's almost feels like a biography. Her writing is just as impressive as her acting, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for her in the world of cinema, because I think she's gonna turn some heads. The moms are both immensely talented as well as the daughter. At the end of this movie I couldn't help but smile and nod along with the music, relishing the time I got to spend with these characters. My only real quip is that it does longer a bit towards the end, and there is one scene that is a bit too on the nose, but the rest of the film is just too good and done with too good of intentions to really knock it too much. Overall Saint Frances is a stunningly delightful film, one that I recommend to anyone and everyone no matter personal beliefs. You may come out changed, you may come out even stronger in your beliefs, you may come out not changed at, all which is fine. One thing is for sure, you'll have a great time with these characters. There's plenty of laughs, tears and morals, and by the end you'll be sure to be rooting for Bridgette and her future.

I found this film enjoyable - a real slice of life type of film and very well fimed in a very casual but real way. Bridget was very real and likeable (although the wife didn't like her!). Real world issues treated in s real world way. Great Sunday afternoon film...

Was shocked to see the ratings for this were so low and then realized that the anti-abortion brigade had been sent out to pepper any public review system with 1 stars.

Thoughtful and well done. Yes contains lesbian moms and an abortion but those felt secondary to the story of feeling aimless at 34. There are so many movies where we are asked to take men's emotions and lives and bodily functions as worthy of film and I didn't know that I was missing the same for women until I saw this film.

Laughed and cried. Two thumbs up, well worth the time.

Watching a movie like "Saint Frances" reminds a viewer how rarely we're treated to a truly female-driven movie. Oh sure, there are plenty of movies starring women, a few even (gasp!) directed by them, and lots that purport to be about women's "issues," whatever that means. But it's very rare to have a movie created by women, starring women, and about topics that mostly affect only women and in which the presence or lack thereof of male characters is largely irrelevant to the central issue.

"Saint Frances" isn't a great movie, but it's a very good one and feels in its own unambitious way like something fresh among a sea of mediocre movies. Writer and star Kelly O'Sullivan creates a character who some viewers are sure to dislike and judge, but it's also a character that feels authentic and complex and real and like, you know, the way actual real people are instead of the way they're depicted in lots of other carefully scripted films. The movie has a preoccupation with the biology of women in general and with menstrual blood in particular, and it's to the film's credit that it treats with matter-of-fact seriousness things (like periods, breast feeding, and other things that only women experience) that are used as the butts of jokes in our popular culture or otherwise inexplicably treated with outright disgust. It commits that sin common to feel-good indie movies of wanting to wrap up everything a bit too neatly with a shiny bow, but the sin isn't so egregious in this movie as to ruin the overall experience of watching it.

I also got a kick out of the fact that the movie is set in and was filmed, at least partially, in Evanston, Illinois, which is where I live. It was really fun recognizing locations and dissecting how accurately the film captured life in such a liberal progressive community.

Grade: A-

A great way to kick of 2021 was to watch one of Mark Kermode's top 10 of 2020 on Netflix.

This lovely American Indie movie, Saint Frances, written by and starring Kelly O'Sullivan. Nope, me neither.

It's the story of a 30 something 'girl' who's pretty much failed in life so far, who simultaneously gets a new boyfriend who gets her pregnant but is happy with her undertaking a quick abortion (and go halfers on the fee), and lands a summer job as a nanny for a six year old kid who has mixed race lesbian parents.

The kid's a brat and is running through nannies.

So you know how this all gonna pan out right?

Well, not really. What we embark on is a fairly, but not overly, emotional study in female empowerment (and actually entitlement because one of the moms is a pretty high achieving ball buster), loneliness, self-worth and social value.

The one guy in the movie isn't cast asunder as unimportant but he plays a side role. He's a good guy actually.

The four-way Mom, mom, nanny, kid (and a new baby which makes suppressed Mom, depressed Mom) dynamic is complicated and rarely sees the main protagonist played by O'Sullivan in a position of strength. Meanwhile her abortion has some fairly gross out complications although none that derail the narrative.

It's actually a bit of a comedy but it's a lot more than that. It's certainly bittersweet, but sweet enough.

Hugely thought provoking with several powerful central performances, a strong exploration of issues that face women today (one critic said it was too woke for its own good but I disagree) and a few really good laughs along the way.

What's not to love?