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SET ME FREE Send This Review to a Friend
Lea Pool's Canadian film "Set me Free" is a competently made drama that is painful to watch as a result of the sad lot of its 13-year-old heroine. Set in Montreal in the 1963, "Set Me free" dramatizes the troubled life of Hanna, whose parents have a love-hate relationship, leaving her to feel isolated, lonely and resentful. She has a romantic streak, fed by her having watched the actress Anna Karina in Jean-Luc Godard's classic film "Vivre Sa Vie."
One constant in her life is her older brother, another is her girlfriend Laura. She also finds solace in her understanding teacher, who wants to help but can't solve Hanna's complex emotional problems. Karine Vanasse is sullen but likable as Hanna, and earns our sympathy. Director Pool concentrates on presenting a bleak picture of the girl's life and environment, and shows touches of understanding in the scenes between Hanna and her father, and other scenes between Hanna and her mother.
"Set Me Free' is the sort of film one admires without necessarily enjoying watching it because of grimness. There's no question but that it is well-made and brimming with sincerity. A Merchant Ivory Films release in association with Artistic License Films.
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