2022 SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Hannah (Hannah Lee Thompson) is an unassuming, but energetic young woman with a passion for helping everyone around her. She has a number of jobs: dog walking, teaching guitar, maintaining her father’s garden, etc.–but it’s possible that it’s time for a full-time job. When her brother, Paul (Roger Mancusi), comes to town, he expresses the fact that Hannah should look toward her future and consider finding a job with benefits, healthcare, etc. This is the story of Hannah as she finds influence from all over, attempts to find a “better” job, and tries to get her life on track. Her struggle through Hannah Ha Ha is staying true to herself, while still finding the right balance of everything else in life.
Hannah Ha Ha is incredibly lo-fi; it’s raw and honest. That raw honesty comes in the form of simplicity. Writer-directors Joshua Pikovsky and Jordan Tetewsky decide to present Hannah in an incredibly simplistic light. She’s part of the working class, she’s an everyman, and, honestly, there’s nothing particularly exciting about the character or the life she leads. She appears to be a woman of many talents; she has a green thumb and can tune a guitar just by listening, but beyond her wide range of skills, nothing sets her apart from the pack–making her an everyman. I love that word–everyman. How difficult must it be to create and develop a character that represents literally everyone–that has qualities that people from every walk of life are able to appreciate? I can’t answer that question–I can simply tell you that Pikovsky and Tetewsky develop just that–and Hannah Ha Ha hits the ground running as a result of the titular everyman.
Something very appealing about Hannah Ha Ha is the fact that the dialogue doesn’t feel hyperreal like most films (and this isn’t a jab at other films by any means). The dialogue, particularly the words spoken by the titular Hannah, feel honest, unscripted, and, as a result, far more relatable. There isn’t always a concise response to every question thrown our way, and there isn’t always a quick fix to the dilemmas we face–and Hannah explores that reality as she speaks the truth in a way that feels legitimate rather than forced in any way.
Nothing spectacular ever comes to be in Hannah Ha Ha, and honestly, that’s alright. I don’t need some massive twist at the film’s conclusion, I don’t need death and destruction–what the film needs is honesty and realism, and that’s exactly what it provides.
You won’t be in for a crazy rollercoaster of a story, but you’ll get a simple, down-to-earth telling of the typical American–the everyman. As Hannah Ha Ha comes to a close, viewers feel themselves winding down as well, appreciating the relevant content. Hannah Ha Ha is the perfect film for the cinephile, the casual fan, the blue collar worker, parents, etc. It works for everyone, and that’s immensely impressive.
Written & Directed by Jordan Tetewsky & Joshua Pikovsky.
Starring Hannah Lee Thompson, Roger Mancusi, Avram Tetewsky, Charlie Chaspooley Robinson, Jake Stern, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
Comments