Six Definitive Films: The ultimate beginner’s guide to Noah Baumbach
Noah Baumbach‘s ability to deal with the sensitive nature of relationships, families and friendships has made him one of the most sought-after and widely-regarded filmmakers of the past twenty years. He is one of a small selection of screenwriters to win the ‘Big Four’ critics’ choice awards.
Baumbach was born in New York City in 1969, and his parents were both avid fiction writers, which makes it unsurprising that Baumbach would be such a gifted writer in his own right. Baumbach’s parents’ divorce would be a profound source of inspiration for his future works.
After studying English at university in the late 1980s, Baumbach worked briefly at The New Yorker as a messenger but eventually turned his talents to making films – with his first arriving in 1995 entitled Kicking and Screaming. Baumbach has made several excellent movies since that point, so let’s take a look at some of his best.
Noah Baumbach’s six definitive films:
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Wes Anderson produced this film, telling the semi-autobiographical tale of two children going through the trauma of their parents’ divorce in 1986. The film was critically lauded, winning several awards at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, while Baumbach was also nominated for the Academy Award for best original screenplay.
The title of the film is in reference to the giant squid and sperm whale that are found in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Baumbach would again eschew expensive filming techniques in favour of using Super 16mm film through a handheld camera.
Frances Ha (2013)
This was the first collaboration between Baumbach and his now partner Greta Gerwig. It revolves around the life of aspiring dancer Frances Halladay – played by Gerwig – in New York City.
The film was shot in the style of the French New Wave. Although Baumbach and Gerwig had the budget to film using expensive equipment, they opted to shoot entirely on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a consumer-level camera. This meant that the film crew could move around quickly and discreetly to new filming locations.
Greenberg (2014)
Another collaboration between Baumbach and Greta Gerwig saw Gerwig star alongside Ben Stiller, Rhys Ifans, Brie Larson and Jennifer Jason Lee. Stiller plays a Los Angeles narcissist taking care of his brother’s house, while Gerwig portrays a friendly dog walker who gets sucked into his life.
Although the film made a tremendous loss – grossing just $7 million from a $25 million budget – it was critically appraised. LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy also provided his very first score to the film, which was well received.
The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)
The Meyerowitz Stories was the first film that Baumbach made for Netflix. It starred a great cast, including Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Marvel and Emma Thompson.
It focuses on an arrogant artist Harold Meyerowitz – played by Hoffman – and his son Danny (Sandler), who start living together after Danny splits up with his wife. The film has an uncomfortable air around it, and the tensions of the wider family all come to the fore, examining the effects of divorce.
Marriage Story (2019)
Again, Baumbach received Academy Award nominations for this 2019 film – as many as six this time – including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress. It features Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a couple going through the troubles of a long-distance divorce.
Also starring were Ray Liotta and Laura Dern, the latter of whom would win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Baumbach would return to his experiences with divorce – as he had done with The Squid and The Whale – claiming to “have a real connection to the material”.
White Noise (2022)
Baumbach’s most recent film is the filmic adaptation of Don DeLillo’s excellent novel White Noise, which was published back in 1985. The film stars Baumbach’s frequent collaborators Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig and also features Raffey Cassidy, Andre Benjamin and Don Cheadle.
The story concerns Jack Gladney, a professor of Hitler Studies at an American university, who experiences existential dread after a toxic chemical spills out into his town after a train crash. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival this week and will come to Netflix on December 30th.
