In typical Woody Allen fashion, Hannah and Her Sisters is a comedy-drama that intertwines several
stories from a large cast. The plot centres around three sisters and their
often interconnecting relationships. Hannah (Mia Farrow) is a successful Actress
and married to financial advisor Elliot (Michael Caine) who in turn is
infatuated with Hannah’s sister, Lee (Barbara Hershey). Lee is in a relationship
with a reclusive artist named Frederick (Max von Sydow) but begins to realise that
she too has feelings for Elliot. The third sister Holly (Dianne Wiest) is an unsuccessful
Actress who is recovering from a cocaine addiction. The final piece of the
jigsaw is a hypochondriac TV Producer and Hannah’s ex-husband Mickey (Woody
Allen) whose philosophy on life changes as the plot progresses due to the
sudden realisation that he will one day die.
The film is set over a two year period but also contains
flashbacks to times before the narrative began to contextualise certain
relationships. Voice over from several of the actors provide the audience with
access to the characters inner thoughts as the merry go round of associations and
affairs slowly unfolds. The film is witty and sometimes interesting but for a
fairly short film, it felt long and sometimes tedious.
