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doomonfilm · 6 years

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Thoughts : Hanna (2011)

My family and friends who know me know that I have a love for redeeming Vudu codes and adding films to my extensive online library. Recently, I came across a copy of Night School, and that redemption code included a free film. I was unsure of what to get, but I settled on Hanna after watching the trailers for the films available. Cut to a couple of weeks later, Super Bowl Sunday, and I see a commercial for a Hanna tv series. Weird, right? Now I feel that I have to watch this film before the property becomes relevant again.. synchronicity at work.

Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) and her father Erik (Eric Bana) survive off of the land in the forests of northern Finland. Erik pushes Hanna constantly, making sure that her survival instincts, hunting instincts and intelligence are always sharp and running at full capacity. As Hanna grows older, however, she yearns for a true challenge, not just the ‘imaginary’ training that Erik prepares her for. One day, Erik presents Hanna with an intriguing option in the form of a remote button, which he promises will trigger a challenge unlike any that Hanna has seen before, if she chooses. Curiosity gets the best of her, and Hanna triggers the challenge, putting C.I.A. operative Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett) and her team in motion. Erik and Hanna set their plan in motion, as Erik disappears while Hanna stays back and is captured. She finds herself in a Moroccan compound run by the C.I.A., which she escapes, and sets a dangerous game of cat and mouse into motion as all three parties race towards one another.

The way that the concept of a feral human is toyed with plays quite intriguing in regards to Hanna and her transition from forest to eventual hiding in the streets of Morocco. The beauty of her transition into society soon takes a turn into the absurd via an over-immersion into electricity, television and teenage gossip, all of which dull her killer instinct and make her susceptible to capture. The intensity of the pursuit from Wiegler, Isaacs (Tom Hollander) and his crew serve to both help snap Hanna’s tangents back to the mainline narrative, plus it causes tension as they run through Rachel (Olivia Williams) and Sebastian’s (Jason Flemyng) family, as well as Knepfler (Martin Wutke) in the wake.

The balance between a hard-nosed C.I.A. manhunt picture and a coming-of-age tale is a good one, as it allows just enough focus on both stories to propel each narrative without having to rely too heavily on the tropes of each genre. The attention especially played to Hanna and her interaction with Sophie is key, as it allows a split channel of discovery (and further distraction) in regards to Hanna and her journey to find out who she is. Having mostly British and American characters occupy Spanish and Moroccan locations is an interesting touch, as it may bode to a slightly larger commentary on the powerful using the disenfranchised as their playgrounds. Add to this the mystery of Hanna, her origin, and where she is truly from, and you’ve got a film that holds your attention from opening to closing credits.

The mixture of intense framing with grand camera moves is utilized to create a disjointed feeling, putting the viewer squarely in the same shoes as Hanna. Great location choices are abound, including the shipping yard and amusement park sequences, as well as the streets of countries mentioned previously. Economical action is applied rather than opting for grand action sequences, with a lot of the action being centered around foot chases and hand to hand combat rather than elaborate car chases and gunfights. Tonally, things are well-balanced between the spy story and the coming of age story, with each aspect getting enough attention to feel fulfilled. The ending feels a bit abrupt, but the fact that there is now a TV series on the way sort of helps aide with that acceptance.

Saoirse Ronan uses a brilliant approach to the fish out of water approach, managing to wrap most of her performance in a sense of wonder while always making sure that the sharp edge she possesses simmers just below the surface. Eric Bana plays the protector quite well, serving as guide and guardian until he is forced to reveal the truth to Hanna, while also being competent in the role of a rogue agent. Cate Blanchett brings an air of dignity to her role as antagonist, allowing her class and stature to direct her as she leads the dual manhunt and points thugs in the direction of her dirty work. Jessica Barden embraces her bratty role, while Aldo Maland manages to bring some subtlety to his mostly silent performance. Olivia Williams and Jason Flemyng both help provide a bit of levity, while Tom Hollander and his cronies serve a purely dangerous function of being truly formidable foes and threats to Hanna and Erik. Appearances by Michelle Dockery, Vicy Krieps and the memorable Martin Wuttke round things out.

I probably won’t watch the show, but I definitely will recommend the movie Hanna to friends, as I enjoyed it. I’ve definitely become a fan of Saoirse Ronan over the past couple of years, and stumbling across this gem was a nice way to start the year, even if the film is a bit older.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #JoeWright #Hanna #SaoirseRonan #EricBana #CateBlanchett #JessicaBarden #AldoMaland #TomHollander #OliviaWilliams #JasonFlemyng #MichelleDockery #VickyKrieps #MartinWuttke

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