For When You Need a Little Humility, There's Grad School; For Everything Else, There's "Hanna"

Salut!

So.... I'm kind of in love.

Boyfriend and I saw "Hanna" (2011) last weekend, and um... holy shit I fucking loved that movie.

Just to get the painfully obvious out of the way, I gave it a 5.  Obvi.

On to the fun stuff!

I basically knew from the outset I was going to love this movie.  A good friend who knows my taste saw it and compelled me to see it; Jezebel mentioned it as evidence that there are, in fact, female action heroes who are actually three-dimensional; and come on, that trailer is so bad-ass it's practically eating itself.

In any event: I was not disappointed.  "Hanna" is visually stunning and exhilarating on a level I haven't been privy to in a while... Maybe since seeing "Kick-Ass" (2010), which showcased its own super-awesome girl hero Hit Girl (and one of the very few performances by Nicolas Cage I actually enjoyed).

There's a special kind of thrill I get from movies about women heroes (not superheros, mind you, but the at-least-somewhat-plausible heroes).  Traditionally feminine characters overflowing with gentleness and motherliness get really boring after a while, and I like it when films turn that archetype on its head.  I like it when the roles a woman can inhabit are expanded so radically.  I like to be reminded that almost as formidable as the power to create is the power to destroy, and women can embody those two conflicting powers just as much as men.

I don't know how universal this feeling is, but for me, there's just no denying it: there's something undeniably, viscerally, heart-pumpingly gratifying in the embodiment of the destructive side of femininity portrayed in characters like Hanna.

I'll admit it--there is a (pretty considerable) part of me that wants to be Hanna.  Definitely not because I think it would be fun to kill people (promise).  What I like is that she's so empowered, disciplined, and formidable, all in a package that would not normally belie those traits.  It is both those traits and the fact that they are unexpected that I find immensely appealing.  The shock of seeing such an innocent, placid face spattered with blood is something the average male action hero just can't achieve.

See?

Beyond my affiliative love for the character bearing the film's name, I loved "Hanna" because it provides a fabulous movie-going experience.  It's shot beautifully.  When one of the opening shots of breaking-up ice in frigid water reminded me of one of my favorite artists, I knew I was in for a visual treat.  Paired with the Chemical Brothers' sexy, adrenaline-pumping soundtrack, the film is definitely must-see-in-theaters.

And Jezebel was spot on with their assessment of the level of nuance in Hanna's character.  While she's supposedly bred to have her sense of pity muted, she nevertheless is capable of enough empathy to pursue and defend a friendship with another girl (resulting in a lovely discussion of friendship which provides a welcome emotional counterpoint to the violence that dominates the film).  While she was designed to be an ideal soldier, she is not so perfect in her skills of deadly force that she never makes a mistake.  In other words, there are real stakes in this movie.  Delightfully, Hanna is nevertheless not so imperfect or emotional that she comes across as at all frail.  She is ruthless when necessary, extremely resourceful, and uncompromising in her mission--yet she is not bleached of the emotion that makes her human.  In this way, she retains depth in her manifestation of what it means to be powerfully feminine.

But so seriously... I have to wonder.  What is it about Hanna that I find so appealing?  Why would it be (SO FUCKING) awesome to be her?

Part of it is definitely the surprise factor.  In spite of a growing contingent of kick-ass action heroines, it is still surprising to see a so-physically-powerful woman.  Brute physical prowess is still very much the domain of men, and there's a delicious novelty to watching a woman give men a run for their taken-for-granted money.  There's an upending of expectations inherent in woman action heroes that just isn't there with their male counterparts, and that table-turning is so much fun to watch.

But I don't think it's really that simple.  The post-film discussion I described in my last post was one of innumerable reminders that the world is still in many ways a hostile place for women.  The harrowing assault endured by Lara Logan--who is in so many ways an incredibly powerful woman--is yet another reminder.  There are infinite others, personal and global, that come to mind.  The sad fact of the matter is that there are a lot of people (or maybe not a lot, but certainly more than enough) who are all too eager to remind women of the fact that their relative smallness or physical weakness can be readily exploited--a fact which women must (at times willfully) forget in order to go about their daily lives without being paralyzed by fear.

This is likely partly my recent sexual disorders lecture talking.  Almost all diagnosable-and-illegal disorders in that chapter of the DSM are found in men who perpetrate crimes against women (e.g., frotteurism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, etc.).  While not everyone who qualifies for those diagnoses wants to victimize (as in harm) women, they often nevertheless succeed.  The sad thing is, it's pretty amazing how easily one sick asshole can make a woman forget all the brilliant, kind, safe men there are in the world, and make her feel hopelessly helpless.  Temporarily, at least.

I can haz ur awesome?

But knowing all this is part of what makes "Hanna"--both the film and the character--so compelling.  There's something really seductive about being the kind of total-badass lady-hero who could maybe make a few all-too-real monsters think twice about reminding women of their vulnerability.

... And now that we're on the subject, maybe in some (infinitesimal) way, being a therapist is (an only slightly?) more adaptive way of channeling this fantasy.  Most of my professional life (if I have my way) will involve empowering the disempowered--helping clients conquer trauma, fear, low self-esteem, anxiety, what have you. 

So... instead of ninja-chopping assholes in dark alleys, I'll teach my clients to psychologically ninja-chop the assholes in their lives with COPING SKILLS.  And like... EMOTION IDENTIFICATION.

... Progressive Muscle Relaxation now sounds way more sinister than it really is.

In any event: therapy-as-adaptive-channeling-of-fantasy aside, movies like "Hanna" make me super pumped that my gym offers boxing classes.  I'm very seriously considering taking a couple.  You know, just in case I happen upon an asshole in a dark alley.  Might as well be prepared.

Although there's always PMR as a back-up strategy.

<3