Emporte-moi (Set Me Free) (1998)

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Swiss born Léa Pool, who settled in Montreal, Quebec in 1975, set her sixth feature film, Emporte-Moi, in Mile's End, Montreal's working class district, in the year 1963. Hanna is a thirteen-year-old girl who is mesmerized by Anna Karina's portrayal of Nana S. in Jean-Luc Godard's film Vivre sa Vie.… More Swiss born Léa Pool, who settled in Montreal, Quebec in 1975, set her sixth feature film, Emporte-Moi, in Mile's End, Montreal's working class district, in the year 1963. Hanna is a thirteen-year-old girl who is mesmerized by Anna Karina's portrayal of Nana S. in Jean-Luc Godard's film Vivre sa Vie. She thinks Nana S. looks like her teacher, with whom she hopes to establish a special bond. Hanna has her share of problems at home. Her father (Miki Manojiovic) is a stateless Jew and an unrecognized poet with a tormented soul. Her mother (Pascale Bussiéres) is a fragile and overworked young Catholic from Quebec, and their marriage is not ideal. Fortunately, she has her older brother (Alexandre Mérineau) to share her experiences and her close friend Laura Charlotte Christeler who attracts Hanna because she is so different and so sensual. Growing up in her limited circumstances, Hanna gradually realizes that like the character in Godard's film, she, too, is free to determine her future ... and with freedom comes responsibility. Miki Manojlovic, who plays the father, is a Belgrade born actor who is particularly known for his roles in the films of Emir Kusturica; he is quite convincing in the role of the affectionate but impulsive father. The young actress Karine Vanasse, who plays Hanna, carries the responsibility of her role very well and writer Nancy Huston, who collaborated on the screenplay, fits her role as the teacher in her screen debut. Emporte-Moi is definitely a woman's film, not only because the director, producer, screenwriter and even the director of photography are all women, but also in the way these women have collaborated in creating a work that specifically reflects a woman's point of view. The film competed at the 49th International Berlin Film Festival in 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi