"I like freaks," said Saoirse Ronan, the young star of Hanna, in an interview with tableau before the film's release. I can tell you right now that if you aren't repeating Ronan's exact words after seeing Hanna, I will be surprised. The film tells the story of a 16-year-old girl raised in the Finnish wilderness by her father, Erik (Eric Bana). Hanna grows up in seclusion, as her father is the only other person within miles from their little shack. Hanna's childhood experience is completely atypical; her father serves as both her drill sergeant and caretaker. In response, Hanna grows up into an intriguing mix between a killing machine and an innocent young woman.
Hanna is directed by acclaimed director Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice, The Soloist). Ronan and Wright actually had worked together before for Wright's film Atonement. Ronan's role as young Briony Tallis earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, one of the first signs of Ronan's strong acting potential. When asked about the differences between working with Wright on Atonement and Hanna, the young Irish star said, "Joe never really treated me like a kid, even when I was 12 years old, and he certainly didn't when we did Hanna together ... I could see in myself that I had definitely grown as an actor - I had worked on quite a few films in between Atonement and Hanna - and I think he could see that too ... it left us with more creative freedom and we were able to try different things. I felt like I was a bit more in control of what I could do." The strong relationship Ronan describes is quite evident in the final product. Considering both Wright and Ronan are both relatively young members of their professional fields, Hanna is a brilliant piece of work. It launches the director and actor to a new level and may even secure them spots in the Hollywood community.
Still, Ronan was not the only actor left to carry the film to its soaring heights. Bana, Cate Blanchett and a host of talented but lesser-known actors, such as Jessica Barden and Tom Hollander, round out a strong cast. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of acting. Each actor exhibits a perfect balance of emotion while deftly adapting to each new environment and situation. With a movie whose tagline reads "adapt or die," I couldn't ask for anything more. Blanchett was particularly impressive. As main antagonist Marissa, Blanchett left nothing on the table. Her facial expressions were my favorite subtlety in the film, somehow allowing Blanchett to convey her personal conflicts while simultaneously striking fear into any and every audience member.
Blanchett served as Ronan's role model. "She's, as we'll all know, a wonderful actress," Ronan said. "To observe how she works on set is quite fascinating, really. She's really focused and very, very professional. You can see that she really cares about what she does. For a young actor that's a great thing to see." Becoming an actress as apt and accomplished as Cate Blanchett is by all means a difficult feat. Ronan, however, appears to be well on her way.
One aspect of the film that stands out is the integration of fairy tales into the movie. By toying with everything from the "Three Little Pigs" to "Cinderella," Wright dexterously treads the line between fantasy and reality - a pervasive theme in Hanna. When asked about why he chose to use fairy tales, Wright said, "Because it could work on a number of levels throughout. The theme park at the end is one of the most literal fairy tale references, while the tune that Isaacs [Marissa's henchman] whistles is one of the more atmospheric ones." The fairy tale element also was interwoven into the soundtrack, created and performed by The Chemical Brothers. The mix of techno and eerie fairy tale music is combined beautifully. The result is an amplified audio-visual experience which makes hearts pound and brains ponder.
There are two major types of film nowadays - those that aim to entertain and those that aim to make audiences reach for a deeper meaning. With excellent quality on every level of the film-making process, Hanna provides both relentless entertainment and a thoroughly thought-provoking experience. This rarity separates the film from many other blockbusters and movies with strong heroines. If you have the opportunity to see Hanna, take advantage of it and you, too, will like freaks.
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