Saturday, January 19, 2013

High Calibre Fairytale

     As bittersweet as it is to see your children get older it's fun when they reach an age you can begin to share with them the more serious, or mature films you've enjoyed.  Or even the better-than-average thriller.  Of course, my tastes tend to be pretty dark.  So, I often proceed with caution.
     I think, though, that in our culture films serve as milestones in a person's life.  Some of my best memories with my dad involved movie marathons watching the likes of William Devane in Rolling Thunder, or Alec Guinness in The Bridge Over the River Kwai.  I hope my daughter has a wider range of "best moments" with me than I had with him, but as a family we do enjoy the movies.
     And so, on a recent Saturday morning, I decided my daughter was ready for Hanna.  My wife and I had seen it when first released and had really enjoyed it.  And I'd looked forward to the time I could share it with our oldest.  I remember thinking, how perfect, Hanna is like a 'tween Bourne film.  If you don't know the film, it's essentially a coming-of-age story of a daughter of an ex government agent who has raised her in the wilderness preparing her for an inevitable return to society.
     Sure, the fairy-tale motif present in the film is transparent, and perhaps even overwrought, but it makes for wonderful visual moments such as when Hanna's character walks through the dilapidated theme park toward the Grimm house. And it doesn't hurt to have had a soundtrack done by the Chemical Brothers.
     My daughter had some interesting observations of her own.  She thought the Isaacs character, played by Tom Hollander, in his matching pastel track suits came across like a murderous and sinister Coach Sue Sylvester from the TV show, Glee.  And she was especially intrigued by the character, Sophie, a young teen obsessed with pop culture being raised by hippie parent travelers.  There's an interesting juxtaposition between these two characters, Sophie, and the title character, Hanna.  Sophie acts by turns spoiled and world weary, and would like you to believe she is street-wise.  Hannah spends much of the film as wide-eyed innocent experiencing the world for the first time, but possessing the skills of a trained assassin.
     All in all, it was a lot fun watching the film a second time through my daughter's eyes.  And did I mention we both enjoyed it over cups of coffee?