Saint Frances

Saint Frances expands the representation of women’s lives on screen in a way that is so casual you hardly notice it’s happening.

All credit to O’Sullivan, Thompson and a tone-perfect cast for creating a film that moves to the rhythms of life as its lived rather than fantasized. Saint Frances retains its rough edges to that last. And that’s some kind of miracle.

O’Sullivan (who makes her feature screenwriting debut while also leading the film, appearing in every scene), is a real find, the kind of “voice of a generation” talent who spends less time talking about her genius insight and more time simply delivering on it.

It may not know where to end, and it makes a surprising late-in-the-game play for sentimentality where it has previously been bracingly crisp about hot topics including abortion and post-natal depression, but it’s mostly a wry plea for tolerance when the world is most disposed to hear it.

There’s something beautifully refreshing about the casual way that it takes on so many everyday issues that we just never talk about.

Comedy is the most subjective film genre, and all this menstruation, abortion, Catholicism and Meeting Mr. Wrong won’t be to every taste. I found Saint Frances a real indie comedy shot in the arm (first-timer Alex Thompson directed). And I cannot wait to see what O’Sullivan comes up with next.

It has almost enough genuine charm and heart to compensate for the moments that feel forced.

Anti-choice reviews are tanking the user score. This is a lovely film with strong performances at its centre (including little Ramona Edith Williams). It's a great feature debut for writer-actress Kelly O'Sullivan and a fascinating look at parenting and childcare.

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, **** 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 **** or anything but certainly not a bad film, its a good watch and a film I'd recommend, yes.

While the plot wanders around a lot in a cutesy tone that didn't seem entirely right to me, the film feels organic enough to avoid being seen as manipulative or sentimental.

While this offering deserves praise for its courageous willingness to tackle difficult, taboo topics, it fails on virtually every other count. This story of a nanny who dislikes children (an implausible notion in itself) who takes a job watching the kids of a lesbian couple experiencing marital difficulties draws from a narrative that's all over the map, with story threads that go unresolved or under-explored. Writer Kelly O'Sullivan's inconsistent, often-wildly contradictory character development frequently leaves viewers scratching their heads, a problem compounded by the fact that many of the characters (especially the protagonist) are myopic, irresponsible, self-serving individuals. It's understandable that finding one's way in life often involves changes of mind and heart, but it's so pervasive here that it verges on rampant, indecisive cluelessness, coupled with outright selfish, mean attitudes toward others, behaviors that no one should have to be subjected to (even if they routinely and inexplicably turn on a dime every five minutes). Other than its frankness in dealing with issues seldom addressed (in rather graphic and sometimes gratuitous detail, I might add), I'm truly at a loss to understand what so many critics see in this debut feature from director Alex Thompson.