I Am Hannah review: The lonely weight of expectation explored in moving drama
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The last instalment in Channel 4s new anthology series I Am Hannah delivers yet again a moving portrayal of a woman struggling to find her way.
The film is, overall, a more tender watch than its predecessors whose trials present more immediate threats. Hannahs struggle is more existential, but it doesnt feel any more or less worthy than Nicolas or Kirstys.
Hannahs pain is simmering below the surface at all times, her loneliness palpable.
Dominic Savage again draws improvisation from his stars as Chan presents a woman fighting the taboo of being a single woman in her mid-thirties, facing judgement from all levels.
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Hannah tries to free herself from expectation; from her mother who wants her to start a family, from her friends smugly settled in relationships, from the men she dates, and from society as a whole.
I dont want you to miss out on building a family and sharing your life with somebody, her mother (Sarah Lam) tells her.
Is being single the worst thing that can befall a woman? Of course not – so I Am Hannah questions why it feels that way.
Online dating is explored in the drama in a way that will surely ring true for many viewers. The monotony of apps, the repetitive conversation with strangers and the contestant disappointment is touched on realistically.
One particularly nasty encounter sees Gemma forcibly kissed against her will by a man shes on a date with after she tells him she likes sex.
Another dud of a date sees the man lay into her for wasting his time before leaving her standing by herself in the middle of a park.
Hannah struggles with the fleeting nature of womanhood, fertility and a ticking biological clock till shes driven to freezing her eggs, which is fraught with its own disappointments as the doctor breaks it to her that even this is not a failsafe option.
This realisation leads her to question why she feels such pressures and she ends her budding relationship with James (Arinzé Kene) and ultimately decides to be on her own.
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Yet, the piece is not without its moments of catharsis, whether its finding solace in the greedily gulped glass of wine, a solo dance in the living room or sex with a stranger.
I Am Hannah explores pressure and expectation in a way that will resonate witRead More – Source