HANNAH is the intimate portrait of a woman’s loss of identity as she teeters between denial and reality. Left alone grappling with the consequences of her husband’s imprisonment, Hannah begins to unravel. Through the exploration of her fractured sense of identity and loss of self-control, the film investigates modern day alienation, the struggle to connect, and the dividing lines between individual identity, personal relationships, and societal pressures.
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I am also in denial that I ever gave 95 min or so of my life to watch this rubbish although Rampling still looks great for her years.
Despite an excellent central performance from Rampling this film is not easy and is not engaging. It is tedious. The story and its telling recalls Antonioni, think of: Il Grido, il Deserto Rosso, L'Avventura and La Notte, with characters who barely intersect, let alone have any connection to each other, solitary, desperate, fearful, they stumble about the world, tiny and wretched. And that is exactly what 'Hannah' replicates. Yet with Antonioni the films had a trajectory about a social and personal gulf which 'Hannah' doesn't', Hannah simply records the mundane as the mundane and even with a veteran in Rampling to give the merest levels of drama, it still falls short. In a film the dramatic premise is necessary, such a narrative as 'Hannah' simulates are possible in prose, they work very well on the page, but in a film the internal represented as physical space is insufficient. It's only observation. In some respects 'Hannah' is like a reality show, but whereas those shows tease the audience with sexual anticipation, Hannah ruthlessly records the anxiety of a lonely, miserable, woman.
Intimate portrait of a woman drifting between reality and denial when she is left alone to grapple with the consequences of her husband's imprisonment. Charlotte Rampling acts like she's bored out of her freaking mind and believe me she does what any other person will do once they see 'Hannah' i mean this film is 1hr and 33mins including the opening and closing credits so it's somewhere around 1hr and 30mins give and take and it's so freaking slow and boring i mean nothing really happens, the rest of acting was also horrible and none of the characters was interesting enough for me or anyone else who will see this movie to care. Overall overrated and terrible Cannes film. (0/10)
"Hannah" (2017 release from Italy; 95 min.) brings the story of Hannah, an elderly lady. As the movie opens, we see Hannah and her husband go about their daily routine, and then it becomes clear that something is up, before we know it, Hannah's husband is getting ready to be dropped off at a prison. What is going on here? At this point we're less than 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from Italian director Andrea Pallaoro, who previously gave us the equally excellent "Medeas". Here Pallaoro goes one better yet, and looks at how an elderly woman deals with the consequences of her long-time husband going to prison. The first issue is of course, what did the husband don exactly? The answer is given in subtle hints at various points in the movie, but one might even argue that it isn't all that relevant, as indeed the focus is on Hannah. She tries to make the best of a terrible situation, and continues to provide support to her husband. When she goes to visit him in prison, she musters a smile when he appears, to which he snarls "Why are you laughing?". Just chilling. And what to say about this extraordinary performance (yet again) by Charlotte Rampling? As she continues to age gracefully (she is now in her early 70s), she continues to find (or be offered) roles that are challenging and rewarding (check out also 2015's $5 Years, and this year's Red Sparrow). "Hannah" premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival to immediate critical acclaim (Rampling won the Best Actress award). I happen to catch this during a recent family visit to Belgium. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at in Antwerp, Belgium was attended quite nicely, somewhat to my surprise, given that this is not the most joyful of films. If you are in the mood for a great character study of an elderly woman dealing with difficult issues, I'd readily suggest you check this out. It's doubtful at this point that this will get a US theatrical release, so look for it on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.