Hannah

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.

Hannah (Charlotte Rampling) accompanies her husband who surrenders to be imprisoned. She befriends her neighbor's autistic child. She becomes more isolated as even own family shuns her.

This is a slow, quiet character study. It's strictly for the arthouse crowd. Honestly, I got to the hour mark and couldn't figure out if anything is happening on the screen. I decided to watch from the beginning again. This film is not one for expositions. There is nobody explaining anything. One follows Hannah around doing stuff. It needs to declare what is going on at the beginning so that the movie is even marginally interesting. Rampling is a master and that's mostly what's worthwhile on the screen. Otherwise, it's a plot quiz that demands one's attention and rarely gets mine.

"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.

I really liked this movie, however, WHY was her husband put in jail?

I know silly question, have to know...

A very subtle, evocative independent film, with an existential atmosphere recalling Ingmar Bergman's works.

It's a quiet, serene picture of beautifully composed scenes, creating an ambience of seclusion and isolation. We experience the lonely life of a woman who has been rejected by everyone in her life, except her only outlet, a theater group she is involved with.

Some, inexperienced with artistic films, may not appreciate its somber nature. And it's definitely not for those expecting a complete narrative. The film is one big question mark of what happened to her, left up to the viewer's interpretation.

Hannah is a homage to Charlotte Rampling, who should have received more nominations for this performance, and who I hope will receive an achievement award for her career.