By: debbie lynn elias
Explosive, intense, heart pounding, riveting, pulsating…and these are just a few of the adjectives to describe HANNA. And, of course, the main word that my mind kept reiterating for days – WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW! Written by Seth Lochhead and David Farr, and directed by Joe Wright, HANNA is the latest film to explode into the genre now known as “human weapon” and particularly, that of female empowerment, and does so with amazing performances, none more spectacular than that of Saoirse Ronan’s HANNA and that of her nemesis, Cate Blanchett as CIA operative Marissa. A cat and mouse game of wits, endurance, strength and secrecy put the story into play and then serve to ratchet it up one hundred-fold as the clock ticks down to the ultimate showdown. HANNA is an adrenalin rush for the ages!
Hanna has been raised above the Arctic Circle by her father Erik. Far from civilization and with no conveniences of the modern world (no phone, no lights, no cars, no grocery stores, books, movies or music), unbeknownst to Hanna, Erik has been grooming her for a clandestine future. Home schooled by a book of Grimms Fairy Tales and a one volume encyclopedia, Hanna has spent most of her life learning survival tactics, military tactics, instinctual tactics; learning to utilize her senses to give her the ultimate advantage in a life and death situation and to view the world objectively and without emotion. In fact, when we first meet Hanna, she is pursuing a caribou, felling it with a mere bow and arrow. However, she misses the heart and so as not to have the animal suffer – and to execute the attack completely – whips out a gun and with one shot between the eyes, kills the caribou and completes her task. But, before she can even holster the gun within her heavy fur clothing, she is attacked by a stranger. Wrestling in hand-to-hand combat, it turns out that this stranger is none other than her father, Erik, continuing his training of her. But why?
The time is coming for Hanna to leave the safety and sanctity of their cabin in the woods but only she can determine when that time will be. Erik sees that her training is virtually complete. He has taught her all he knows. The future is now up to her. And once she lives this haven, she will need to call on every bit of skill and knowledge available to her as she makes her way to a rendezvous point in Germany to meet her father who himself will also be departing when Hanna does.
But this is not some teenager venturing out into the world. This is a teenager embarking on a mission, a mission that the audience will learn about along with Hanna. All she knows is that her ultimate confrontation will be with a woman named Marissa. Unearthing a hidden transponder box from beneath the ground, Erik places the ball in Hanna’s court. When she pushes the button on the box, the mission will begin.
On pushing the button, across the world at a secret CIA facility somewhere in the US the transponder signal is received, calling CIA operative Marissa into action with what is a mission so secretive, even her colleagues are unaware of its full ramifications. It is Marissa’s mission to capture – if not kill – Hanna. Why remains to be seen. What we do learn though is that Marissa and Erik have some kind of past, a past that fuels a fury within Marissa.
Alone, but hardly unarmed or unprepared for what may come her way, Hanna is too easily captured by Marissa’s minions and stashed in a secret underground facility. Why? Easy. The hunted wants to bring the hunter to her. Or is Hanna now the hunter baiting its prey?
Escaping from the facility amidst madness, mayhem and murder, Hanna finds herself in Morocco and must now journey to Germany to meet her father at the cottage of the Brothers Grimm. With Marissa hot on the heels of both Hanna and her Erik, the hunt is on, but with a few wrinkles Erik didn’t count in when preparing Hanna – like boys, music, friends, motorbikes, the innocence and purity of life as seen through the eyes of a newborn child.
Talk about a physical performance with minimal dialogue but all out emotional intensity! Saoirse Ronan defies description as Hanna. Beyond the physical, the wide eyed wonder and innocence that she brings to Hanna is exquisite. Her scenes of emerging into the sunlight, riding in a car with her hair blowing and a small relaxed smile on her face, are so simple, elegant and beautiful. The journey that the audience goes on as it learns about Hanna and who she is, is one shared by the character herself. Twists and turns are as surprising to us as they are to Hanna. Fortunately, Hanna is more prepared for the unexpected than we are. Ronan is a girl wise beyond her years. Her gift for acting is natural, second nature, and unforced. Watching her here is like watching a Swiss watchmaker meticulously and methodically put all the pieces together. Brilliant.
But wait just a minute! Then we have Cate Blanchett. As Marissa, she is downright CREEPY. Her features are skewed and her mouth and bouffant hair exaggerated, complimented by a “Joker” smile. And despite Marissa’s apparent love of expensive simple and elegant fashion, the selection of green suede shoes with fat 2 inch stack heel and gold trim paired with an Armani suit screams trailer trash and is a major tell that Marissa is not who she appears to be. Creepy, creepy, creepy, but an absolutely killer performance by Blanchett.
Turning to Eric Bana as Hanna’s father Erik, although an intense and physically demanding performance, at no time did I ever believe that Erik was Hanna’s father. Bana gave Erik too much cold, too much distance. Granted that goes to being a top notch assassin, but it then belies the “revelation” later on in the film that will set your head spinning.
I can’t get enough of Jessica Barden. I fell in love with her in “Tamara Drew” and here, as Hannafs newfound friend Sophie, brings that same irreverent, excitable, smart ass energy. Barden is a delight! Likewise, Aldo Maland is a little charmer as Sophie’s brother, Milo. Such sweetness and innocence. A charming balance to the intensity of Hanna and the demeanor of Barden’s Sophie. Very key is that it is the character of Milo who shows Hanna what it is to be a little kid.
This is a huge departure for director Joe Wright from films like “Atonement” and “Pride & Prejudice” while still rooted in the sensibilities of character; something at which he excels. Written by Seth Lochhead and David Farr, this is truly an inventive character study as it unfolds not through dialogue, but through the absence thereof, as well as through the physically demanding intrigue of the hunter and the hunted. Characters are compelling and interesting. The cat and mouse game, intriguing. Key to the story development is the fact that not only has Hanna had no contact with the world or anyone other than Erik, but her only formative education was with a one volume old encyclopedia and a book of Grimm’s fairytales…which of all fairytales, are perhaps the darkest and speak loudest as to the horrors of the world. Very interesting choice of reading materials there.
Wonderful setting of emotion and tone through visuals and most notably, the cinematography of Alwin Kuchler. The crisp cleanliness and purity of the Finnish forest that mirrors Hanna – pure and unaffected, unjaded is exceptionally lensed. And then you jump into the stark scorching sun of the desert that slams the audience in the face as it does Hanna. Safety and purity is replaced with an empty barrenness. But once Hanna meets Sophie and Milo, color is introduced, the palette softens, realism sets in and Hanna’s world is punctuated with emotion created through music. The script almost gives us a sense that because of Hanna’s rote definition understanding of music, every sound is interpreted as such, much like a computer would do.
The energy and excitement is non-stop, but it never overshadows the emotional journey and struggle of Hanna. The character never gets lost in the action.
And of course, what really drives this film home is the pulsating, pounding rhythmic score from The Chmical Brothers that propels the movie, and Hanna, ever onward………..and talk about a final “shot’ (pun intended). Killer.
Hanna – Saoirse Ronan
Erik – Eric Bana
Marissa – Cate Blanchett
Directed by Joe Wright. Written by Seth Lochhead and David Farr based on a story by Lochhead.
