Tall, broad-shouldered and a little ungainly, Greta Gerwig plays Frances, and though she’s surrounded by friends and acquaintances throughout this movie, it’s practically a one-woman show.  (Gerwig also co-wrote the screenplay with her boyfriend, director Noah Baumbach.)

When we first meet her, Frances -- an understudy with a modern dance group -- is sharing a Brooklyn apartment with her best friend from Vassar, Sophie (Mickey Sumner, who happens to be Sting’s daughter) and dating a guy named Dan.  But both situations sputter out, leaving Frances with no place to stay and no boyfriend either.  Her dance prospects don’t look so hot either.

Did you know that every year more people develop asthma? Or that Maine is on the top ten list of number of adults with asthma? More than 100,000 adults in Maine have asthma and more than 22,000 children.

Years ago, an allergist explained to me that trying to breathe during an asthma episode is like trying to breathe through a straw when the end has been pinched shut. That image stuck. Read more ...