Hannah Free has a tagline mentioning an independent spirit. The photo used is an overly photoshopped image of lead actress Sharon Gless. Her face is highly edited and appears somewhat inhuman looking, especially in a thumbnail. I jumped to conclusions thought the movie was a love story between a woman and a ghost. Then I started the movie and realized it was just about a lesbian senior citizen and her lifelong romance with partner, Rachel. I was slightly disappointed by the lack of ghosts but kept watching. By the end of the film, it turns out I was sort of right all along. There is actually a ghost in this movie, go figure.
Hannah Free is the life story of Hannah, who is in a nursing home. Her long-time partner Rachel lies comatose in the same home. Rachel’s disapproving daughter has not allowed Hannah who is no technically family member to see Rachel. In flashbacks, we see Hannah and Rachel’s relationship which began when they were children. Initially, the roadblock to lesbian bliss is Rachel. Scared to be different, she marries a man and has kids. Later in life, when Rachel has accepted her identity and love for Hannah, it is Hannah who strains their relationship. Despite loving each other deeply, Hannah’s wanderlust takes her away from homebody Rachel for long periods of time. In the present, we see Hannah bond with a stranger who turns out to be Rachel’s granddaughter. Hannah also speaks to a younger Rachel who is a figment of her imagination… Or is she?
Hannah Free is notable its use of senior lesbian characters. It’s hard to find much representation of seniors in film in general, let alone films about LGBTQ* seniors. Beyond issues of sexuality, it was great how the film touched on elder abuse and the disrespect senior citizens receive in care homes. The nursing home staff treat the very sharp and capable Hannah as a child. Hannah’s privacy is regularly invaded and most importantly, she is not allowed to see her partner. This film did a great job promoting visibility for both elder LGBTQ* members as well as general problems of elder abuse, disrespect and neglect.
Easily the best part about Hannah Free is the character of Hannah. Hannah is a well-rounded, likeable, elderly firebrand. She’s who I want to be when I’m an old lesbian myself. This character absolutely deserved to have a full movie about her. Sharon Gless is absolutely astounding as this character.It was her performance in which she let go of a loved one, confronted her own mortality and remembered a full and not-perfect life that really elevated this movie. Sharon Gless absolutely did justice in representing the much forgotten subsection of senior members of the LGBTQ* community.
So, the ghost thing. Hannah talks to a version of Rachel initially presumed to be imaginary. However, a member of the care home with dementia is able to see Rachel. At the end of the film, Rachel is approaching death and her family, including Hannah, is gathered around her. At this point, everyone in the room sees her spirit. Rachel’s ghost pleads for Hannah and her daughter to love and accept each other and give the audience emotional closure. I found this a bit lame. The scenes of Hannah talking to a presumed imaginary Rachel totally work without needing to explain them as paranormal. Having a ghost Rachel in the final scene just seemed like an easy way to get the emotional moment the film desired. Saying that, I did cry during the entire scene so maybe I should just shut up.
Where Hannah Free stumbles is the overall look of the movie. This is not a movie where you’ll watch it and gush about the cinematography. It’s competently shot, but not interesting. It uses a lot of handheld camera and static, medium-wide shots. Beyond the camerawork, there’s just clearly just not enough budget here to make the movie look as good as it reads on paper. It looks like a TV movie even though it’s not. It was clearly not in the budget for anything other than bare necessities in regards to sets, visuals and really anything. This is really a shame because I think the story, lead character and lead performance are so strong. Had this movie had a chance to have more artistic direction, I think a larger audience than LGBTQ* movies fans could’ve taken notice of Hannah Free.
Given how few people have rated/reviewed this movie on IMDB, I really do feel like I’ve discovered a hidden gem with Hannah Free. Its focus on senior queer characters ensure that this won’t be a film you’ve seen a thousand times and it does a good job holding up that mantel. Sharon Gless is amazing in this role and gives an incredibly honest performance. She easily manages to be the emotional centre of this movie and helps glaze over other imperfections within this film. I really urge you to check Hannah Free out. It’s a lovely film with a lot of heart and a surprise ghost!
Overall rating: 7.2/10
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