Review of Hanna (2011) by In Your D — 07 Sep 2012

One of my favorite films from 2011, a simplistic but stylistic fusion of spy-thriller and coming-of-age drama, with some involving action sequences and quirky fairy-tale references.

Hanna (Siaorse Ronan) is a lithe and ferocious young teenager that, for reasons she does not quite understand, has been raised in complete isolation in the icy wilderness of northern Finland. Her father (Eric Bana) has trained her to survive in the wild, to kill with brutal ferocity, to learn and adapt. He reads to her from a massive encyclopedia every night. She knows many languages. Eventually the urge to travel out into the world becomes too much. Dad hopes he has given her all the tools she needs to get by and accomplish her mission. She may be clever and perceptive but she is mostly unaware of the dangers that await her in the "outside" world.

You see, they are being hunted. A big bad wolf named Marissa (Cate Blanchet) wants them dead. She failed to bury them years ago and their resurgence threatens her career. More intelligent than the agency she works for, brutal and manipulative, she lives for the hunt; in place of a family, she spends her free time organizing shoes and brushing her teeth like all Europeans think we do. She embodies her work rather than leaving it at the office. I was reminded of Lady Macbeth, stopping up the flows and functions of her form to become a better killer. Erik knows what this woman wants and what she might really be after. So he has been training Hanna since birth to hunt and lethally ground this woman.

But things never go quite the way they are supposed to. Soon the movie turns into a series of slow-boiling chase and escape sequences, and they are all a lot of fun. This is in huge part to the work Ronan shows through her character. Although starting out as a programmed automaton of her father's design who murders with detached curiosity, she quickly comes to dislike the act. After learning a little about the joys and perils of friends and family, a fiercely passionate and moralistic creature emerges. She responds to threats with confusion and fear, but she can also be cold and primitive on the turn of a dime. Watching her react to and adapt to the strangeness of the world outside the forest is what makes this movie constantly enjoyable. The action scenes are kind of ridiculous but also kind of fun, they have their own strange beat and logic thanks to the camerawork and the Chemical Brothers' loopy soundtrack.

There are also some great scenes in a sub-plot involving Erik, as he struggles to reach his daughter before the bad guys do. As far as fathers with martial-arts skills he would give Liam Neeson in Taken a run for his money. There is a third loosely defined science-fiction subplot that I won't spoil, but it felt unnecessary and was my least favorite part of the film.

Director Joe Wright and cinematographer Alwin Kuchler do a proper job setting up gorgeous tapestries of sounds and visuals that underline the character's journeys and keep the film moving from one exciting reveal to the next. Because the story is so streamlined the pacing never feels slow, and there is a smart use of editing to generate fear, apprehension, and wonder; we are in Hanna's world. Escapist entertainment doesn't have to be completely brainless! I also liked the small allusions to the Brothers Grimm and Aesop's Fables. Hanna's trek out into a dangerous bustling city after being raised in the woods is rife with fairy tale allegory, and her fish-out-of-water naivety at the workings of the civilized world lead to some of the best moments in the film.

This helps gives the whole affair the sensation of a modern-day parable. For instance she is pursued by three little pigs, a trio of aryan hit-men who answer to the wolf-like Marissa. All paths eventually lead to a strange loner living alone in an isolated theme park cobbled together from dozens of familiar childhood tropes. As a set piece it functions not only as a staging ground for the final battle, but as validation for the beleaguered Hanna, who has aged rapidly and is desperate for the respite of the familiar after a transcendent experience road-tripping across the countryside with a small family.

There is a minimal amount of dialogue in "Hanna", just enough to establish intent and paint the characters as living beings with flaws and motives. There is fairly thoughtful film here, with equal shades of violence and dark. As the credits rolled I felt a pang of concern and regret for the lonely Hanna and her uncertain future. The story makes no emotional compromises, resulting in a sense of immense melancholy for what we are left with. It may not be pleasant, but it sure is effective.