Hannah and Her Sisters

Hannah and Her Sisters is another interesting and thought provoking Woody Allen film. This movie, like the other Allen films we’ve watched in class, combined romance, humor and eccentric characters to tell a story about three sisters. Although similar, I also thought that this film was different in a few ways. First, it was structured differently than his other films. Woody Allen organized the film into 16 different scenes, and each was titled with some type of phrase. Each of the titles somehow related to each scene in a unique and creative way. This style helped to focus and concentrate the viewer on what exactly was taking place during the movie. Although it was unique, I enjoyed it and thought that it helped to guide me through the movie. Second, the story told elapsed over a course of a year. It started with a Thanksgiving dinner and ended with a Thanksgiving dinner. This made the story seem more realistic. Finally, like in all of his films I thought the characters were very interesting people. What was different was the irony he used in making 2 of the characters “actresses”. Both Hannah and Holly were aspiring actresses. It was ironic because they were playing a role within a role. I found that concept to be very intriguing. Although there were some new techniques used to tell his story in this film, Allen still had some very common themes. Once again, there was a strong connection between his characters and their mental health. Woody Allen seems to make a point in his movies to emphasize and draw attention to the psychological well being of the characters in his stories. It seems as if Allen is definitely engrossed with the psychological makeup of people, and his characters usually portray people who are not the most stable or balanced individuals. Allen’s eccentric ways and constant attention to dysfunctional characters, makes me believe he has battled some psychological disorders in his past! The fact that his characters are usually suffering from some type of disorder and there is much talk about seeing “analysts”, makes me wonder if Allen does this to bring attention and awareness to the problems those with mental health issues face or if he wants it to appear more a part of the norm! Regardless, Allen tells stories that in their own eccentric unusual ways grab at an audience and pull them in! Hannah and Her Sisters was no different. The story used humor and sadness to not only entertain, but to pull the audience in and make them care about the characters and enjoy the story that was told.