Hannah Free (2010)

20% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(162 ratings)

Claudia Allen adapts her own play detailing the decades-long love affair between a butch lesbian and a religious housewife for the screen in a film directed by Wendy Jo Carlton. The story begins in a nursing home, where an elderly Hannah (Sharon Gless) has been forbidden from visiting Rachel, the… More Claudia Allen adapts her own play detailing the decades-long love affair between a butch lesbian and a religious housewife for the screen in a film directed by Wendy Jo Carlton. The story begins in a nursing home, where an elderly Hannah (Sharon Gless) has been forbidden from visiting Rachel, the love of her life. Rachel is in a coma, and since Hannah is not family, she is refused entrance into her longtime lover's room. As Hannah's memories drift gently back into the past, she recalls her relationship with Rachel, which began when they were just young girls. Just when it begins to look as if Hannah will never see Rachel again, a sympathetic student offers to help her circumvent the traditional hospital rules regarding visitors. In the process of attempting to get one last glimpse of her beloved, however, Hannah is forced to come to terms with the fact that Rachel's view of their relationship wasn't all roses. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Wendy Jo Carlton
Written By: Claudia Allen
Genres: Drama, Gay & Lesbian

In Theaters: Dec 11, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Jun 1, 2010
Studio: Ripe Fruit Films

Critic Reviews

Stephen Holden, New York Times
Hannah Free is a tear-jerker about longtime lesbian lovers languishing in the same Michigan nursing home.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
It might be OK some early morning on an obscure cable network. But that's it.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Hannah Free affords a terrific role for Sharon Gless.
Justin Chang, Variety
Decent production values can't fend off the feeling that the pic should have been consigned, if not to the stage, then to the smallscreen.
Steve Ramos, Boxoffice Magazine
What Hannah Free offers are Gless' sass and good intentions. Achieving crossover business, even within the specialty film world, requires more.
Nick Schager, Time Out New York
Gray-haired Gless grouches with embarrassing abandon while chatting with the young ghost of her soulmate and befriending a mysterious girl (Jackson).
Diego Costa, Slant Magazine
A beautiful but stiltedly put-together tale of two women who love.
Matt Pais, Metromix.com
Good intentions don't matter when everything else is so incompetent.
Fr. Chris Carpenter, Movie Dearest
Sharon Gless...gives a fine performance, but this is an otherwise schmaltzy movie that is hard to swallow.
Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly
Hannah Free is as predictable as a Hallmark Channel movie, although there's undeniable pleasure to be had from watching Gless mumble and grumble and generally chew the scenery. Cagney lives, and she's as cranky as ever.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ina S

Quiet but never depressing movie about love, life, death and saying goodbye - with a marvelous cast, especially the amazing Sharon Gless. Great film.