Noah Baumbach immortalizes the big spirit and small life of a lovably goofy and idealistic young woman, adrift and alone in N.Y. Shot with past-tense tenderness in evocative monochrome, a millennial spirit ignites this new classic, which was both led and co-written by a luminous Greta Gerwig.

With gripping characterization and dynamic direction, Peter Weir turns a survival tale into a moving reflection on life’s eternal pains. Braving hostile conditions, his international cast brings out the visceral and universal dimensions of a journey that seems at times absurd, but never futile.