Hannah Free, the new film starring Sharon Gless, written by Claudia Allen (adapted from her play) and directed by Wendy Jo Carlton will premiere on Sunday, June 28 as the closing night film for the Frameline LGBT Film Festival in San Francisco.
The film tells the story of a life-long love affair between two women, Hannah and Rachel. Hannah played by Gless is a free spirit who refuses to abide by the rules and has constant wanderlust even though she is incredibly in love with and happy with Rachel. It takes Rachel a lot longer to fully be with Hannah even though she does love her. Their struggle to love each other and be accepted is symbolic of the evolution of the struggle for gay civil rights.
Sharon Gless is a forceful presence as Hannah. While the story might seem cutting edge because it is about two women it really isn’t, it’s just a plain old love story. It just happens to be about two women. I loved that we saw the women age through the film which moves it beyond the “cool” factor. This is a story that is happening in communities all across the country and I like that it was brought out from behind the shadows into the forefront.
Women & Hollywood posed some question to the film’s director Wendy Jo Carlton:
Women & Hollywood: How did you become involved with this film?
Wendy Jo Carlton: I’ve been an independent filmmaker for about 20 years, and had many successful shorts and a few screenplays under my belt before I moved to Chicago from Seattle. I worked with Tracy Baim, the executive producer, on a couple other projects, the Chicago Gay Games DVD and recently the living library that is the Chicago Gay History Project. In the course of interviewing hundreds of LGBT folks in the area, I met the playwright Claudia Allen and then the three of us decided to make a lesbian feature film in Chicago, adapting Hannah Free, one of Claudia’s popular plays.
Wendy Jo Carlton
W&H: There are not many films that show lesbians in this way. do you think this is a breakthrough in how lesbians will be seen on film?
WJC: It was important to me to portray Hannah and Rachel not just as young lovers but as older lovers as well, two women who share a deep emotional connection but also a passionate physical and sexual connection. And not to just imply that, but to show their attraction visually, cinematically. Most mainstream feature films don’t show older couples sharing physical affection and sexual attraction for one another. Whether they are straight or queer, we just don’t see many older characters in bed together or see older people kissing and being sensual together onscreen. I think it’s sexy and fun and life affirming.
Most long-term romantic relationships, regardless of orientation, wax and wane in the lust department. What’s great about Hannah and Rachel is that theirs is the kind of great love affair that has sustained its passion and lust over decades, the kind of fantastic, enduring attraction and love that is celebrated and pined for in straight films all the time.
W&H: How did Sharon Gless get involved?
WJC: Sharon Gless and Claudia Allen are old pals because Sharon years ago came to Chicago to star in one of Claudia’s plays called Cahoots. They maintained a friendship and when Claudia sent Sharon the script she decided to come back to Chicago and take on the complex and demanding role of Hannah. She did an incredible job and brings so much complexity, nuance, humor and gravitas to the role.
Continue reading ‘Interview with Wendy Jo Carlton – Director of Hannah Free’
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