Review: HANNAH HA HA
by Karen Pecota

Jordan Tetewsky, Joshua Pikovsky, USA 2022

Young Massachusetts filmmakers, Jordan Tetewsky and Joshua Pikovsky, write and direct a narrative about two siblings who grow up in a small town but have differences of opinions on how to carve out one’s life choices for career and lifestyle in HANNAH HA HA. They admit that their narrative is a product of their small-town upbringing, as well as their fascination with the American life/dream. They ponder and ask about such a life, "In what ways have community, family, solidarity, and friendship all been impacted and distorted by the unseen forces that govern our world?"

They go on to share, "While this is a portrait of family dynamics, it is also a critique of a system that forces people to decide between work that is truly meaningful, or not, and work that will provide them with financial security." Adding, "HANNAH HA HA portrays the struggle of young people to resolve the contradictions in American life." While this is not a new struggle, Tetwsky and Pikovsky portray further the relationship between the siblings’ dad and their hippie uncle. Continuing, "It's a complicated relationship between two very dissimilar men who have never resolved their own vast differences, but they serve as a warning that these distances only deepen with time."

Synopsis:

An intelligent small-town girl, Hannah (Hannah Lee Thompson) is happy and content to live and work in the small town she grew up in, while caring for her ailing father. Hannah's driven and career-oriented older brother, Paul (Roger Mancusi) and sister-in-law, Avram (Avram Tetewsky) return to the area from the big city after making their fortune, to be closer to the family. Hannah's brother feels it is his duty to interfere in his sister's life because he is worried that Hannah is wasting her time by not caring for herself, nor fulfilling her own dreams out of a sense of obligation to care for others.

Hannah's 26th birthday is just around the corner and that puts her healthcare coverage under her father's plan in jeopardy. Paul is worried about the stability of her financial future with no healthcare and looks at her through the lens of the stereotype of what America deems productive—high-paying jobs with benefits. Hannah's low-paying jobs with no health protection doesn't seem to align with what he thinks she truly cares about, or has he misread her?

Over time Hannah must confront her brother over his nagging conversations that appear degrading to her. She must share with him her feelings that he appears not to accept the fact that she is an adult and has thus far, made her life choices out of a love and devotion to family, in his long absence. Her existence is her happy place, and he needs to trust that she is doing her best given her options. On the other hand, Hannah knows her brother speaks truth to her situation and struggles to make sense of her choices and future. A family intervention has its place and to each member it proves worthy.