ANATOLIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
For Hannah
By John Wesley Norton
REVIEW
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
Plato
For Hannah, the story of which was written by Shannon Brown and Suzette Brown and written and directed by John Wesley Norton, is based on discussing a critical ethical issue. In the movie, the character 'Frank' played by Ric Morgan, is 'Chance' played by Shannon Brown. He says they look like to each other. Frank describes himself as a cruel, selfish, angry person who does terrible things but has no regrets, and he judges Chance to be just like that. But Chance opposes it. He states that he is not that kind of person, he is just someone who makes fun of himself, is bored of playing by the rules of the game, and regrets the bad things he has done.
In order to understand this conversation between Chance and Frank correctly, we need to consider the beginning and development of the story of the movie. Chance has robbed a bank and, while trying to escape, has to take shelter in the farmhouse where Frank and his wife Emma live. He went beyond the asylum and carried them captive in their own homes. Frank is actually a man who does dark things. Moreover, he is the type that we can call macho, who treats his wife Emma badly. The character "Emma" played by Carla Abruzzo, as the story of a woman living under male oppression, adds great depth to the fictional universe of the film, as it has a suitable situation to sprout. Emma first realizes that Chance, who has captured them, is a good person at her core, and this situation creates a kind of implicit reconciliation between her and Chance against her despotic husband. Later, thanks to Emma, we learn that; The reason Chance robbed the bank was to get his sick nephew treated, and the fire in the bank arose as an unplanned result of the robbery.
At this point, we decipher the meaning of Chance's statement that he is not cruel and selfish, but just a man who is bored of playing by the game's rules, making fun of himself. We inevitably feel sympathy for Chance and his crime. Already from the very beginning, the character of Chance was revealed as a natural, without exaggerated features and sharp points, with kindness and understanding, what we can call "one of us". In this way, it is ensured that the audience can easily participate in the ethical discussion on which the film is based. When it comes to saving the life of a small child who is close to us, for most of us, the rest is details. Of course, John Westley Norton did not make his movie just about this discussion. He enriched the film with various bargains, reconciliations, betrayals and events that will create a reverse effect on the audience between Chance, who is cornered about escaping, and the captive Frank and Emma. In addition, Deputy Sheriff Gale, played by Suzette Brown, who investigates robbery and arson, and Sheriff Cooper, who is nearing retirement, played by Bruce Spielbauer, were captured and placed in the movie as good examples to show the contradictions between the police, which is always directed by the arrows of criticism about the fight against crime and criminals. Deputy Gale is an ambitious, stubborn person with a strong sense of attack and policing. On the other hand, Sheriff Cooper is tired, bored and puts it before everything else to complete his last days without any problems. Maybe in harmony with this state, Sheriff Cooper seems to have taken the burden of making the film smile on his shoulders and it must be said that he carried it successfully.
The ending of the movie is tied in a dramatic way. Chance, who sets out to save Hannah's life, loses his own life on Frank's farm. The audience can't predict how the movie will end and who will get the money. Tension and excitement are increasing in this episode. In the last scene, we see Emma leaving a box with cash at the door of Hannah's house. Even it's snowing and cold, our hearts are warmed by restoring our confidence that good people will do good under bad circumstances. AIFF