Hannah and Her Sisters

Various crises abound in Woody Allen's 1986 film, his highest grossing one ever (although MIDNIGHT AND PARIS might change that this year). The film has various plots to support the various crises, but everything comes back to one character (whichever one you define that role to). One story develops into another, and then turns around and comes back to the other. Hannah, from the title, is played by Mia Farrow. She's a good wife, with many children, an intelligent husband, Elliot (Michael Caine), an amiable ex (Woody Allen), and two sisters. Trouble is afoot however, when at Thanksgiving dinner, Elliot discovers that he's in love with Hannah's sister Lee (Barbara Hershey). 'It's a delicate situation', Elliot often muses, but he never handles the situation the way his mind tells him to. Meanwhile, Allen's character Mickey Sachs fears he has a brain tumor, remembers his marriage to Hannah, and even a disastrous date with her other sister, Holly (Dianne Wiest). His near-death encounter makes him think about god, and most of the humor comes from his story, and its intertwined logic with the others. Max von Sydow even shows up in the film to solidify Allen's desire to imitate Ingmar Bergman, and he plays a pretentious boyfriend to Lee. This may seem like a melodramatic setup, but it creates a wonderful catharses at the end. Allen evokes the images of place, and fleeting moments, and even fleeting people: how we interact with different people at different times and the nuances of those relationships. Like his great CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, the film is ultimately sad & hopeful. I think it's one of his best films: never ostentatious, but slowly revealing.
Hannah and Her Sisters: ★★★★