Set Me Free."[B]ut what about the soul/that grows in darkness, embossed em·boss tr.v. em·bossed, em·boss·ing, em·boss·es 1. To mold or carve in relief: emboss a design on a coin. 2. by silvery images," muses Frank O'Hara in "Ave Maria," his ode to the pleasures of moviegoing. In Lea Pool's rich coming-of-age tale, Set Me Free (Emporte-Moi), the seduction of thirteen-year-old Hanna (beautifully portrayed by Karine Vanasse) "by silvery images" in a Montreal theater in 1963 catalyzes not only her own sexual desire but also a deeper, existential understanding of personal agency in her difficult adolescence. Seeking shelter from a rainstorm, Hanna sneaks into a screening of Godard's Vivre sa vie (My Life to Live) and is completely mesmerized by Anna Karma as Nana. "Je suis responsable," Hanna says, mantra-like, repeating her celluloid heroine's own lines, transforming them into her own teenage credo. By falling in love with a movie, Hanna is initiated into the equally delirious realm of falling in love with others; it's no coincidence that she first sees her crush, Laura (Charlotte Christeler), outside the theater where Vivre Sa Vie is showing. Pool pays just the right amount of attention to pop culture detail---particularly on the soundtrack--greatly enhancing Set Me Free's specific moment in time without leaving it awash in early Sixties nostalgia. Songs like Charlie and Inez Foxx's "Mockingbird mockingbird: see mimic thrush. mockingbird Any of several New World birds of a family (Mimidae) known for their mimicry of birdsong. The common, or northern, mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) can imitate the songs of 20 or more species within 10 ," for example, magically heighten the ebullience of Hanna and Laura's bold flirtation at a party. There are some overwrought o·ver·wrought adj. 1. Excessively nervous or excited; agitated. 2. Extremely elaborate or ornate; overdone: overwrought prose style. moments: the rows between Hanna s mother (Pascale Bussieres) and father (Emir Kusturica regular Miki Manojlovic) are especially fatiguing. Yet nothing is more invigorating in·vig·or·ate tr.v. in·vig·or·at·ed, in·vig·or·at·ing, in·vig·or·ates To impart vigor, strength, or vitality to; animate: "A few whiffs of the raw, strong scent of phlox invigorated her" in Set Me Free than seeing Hanna navigate the treacherous terrain of adolescence, (An Artistic License/Merchant Ivory release.) Melissa Anderson is a doctoral student in English at the CUNY Graduate Center The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York (known more commonly as the CUNY Graduate Center or the GC) is the sole doctorate-granting institution of the City University of New York. in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . |
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