Mistress America review
Mistress America is a fascinating piece of work from director Noah Baumbach, with co-writing input by Greta Gerwig, about intense female friendships and eager young people trying to find their place in a chaotic world.
It’s intellectually stimulating, with some great one-liners and performances from the two key female players, Gerwig and Lola Kirke, that give the film a wonderful high. Zany moments abound and there’s inspired set pieces that punctuate the story about Tracy (Kirke), a lonely 18-year-old college freshman who meets her future step-sister Brooke (Gerwig) and soon succumbs to the bewitching charisma of the woman’s devil-may-care attitude.
Brooke is a woman for all occasions, whether indulging in leading an aerobics class, doing interior designing or being frantically active on social media. She seems to have harnessed New York – but in reality she’s hanging on by a thread. Gerwig delivers a sharp, fearless performance in which her zesty character chews away at the scenery whenever given the opportunity.
Newcomer Kirke plays Tracy, an aspiring writer who’s having a tough time fitting in at school. As this intense writer soaking up the atmosphere around her for inspiration, Kirke manages to hold her own against Gerwig’s strong screen presence.
The two women connect immediately with Tracy admiring Brooke’s unbridled joie de vivre, while Brooke, who already feels old at 30, is similarly energised by her young admirer. By the time their first crazy night together is over, Tracy has the seeds for a short story, Mistress America.
Baumbach shows he has remained an adolescent at heart and is one of the few directors who refuses to pigeon-hole young people.
