Set Me Free – Emporte-Moi movie storyline. Canadian / Swiss / French production that tells the tale of Hannah, a tomboyish 13 year-old hitting puberty in 1963. An unhappy and uncomfortable family life leads Hannah to seek escapism in the world of cinema. Specifically, she repeatedly watches and appears enthralled by Nana (Anna Karina), the character from Jean-Luc Godard’s “Vivre sa vie” (1962) about a Parisian woman’s descent into prostitution. Her confusion surrounding what is real leads to a crush for her female teacher and her actively pursuing what it’s like to be a prostitute for an evening.
Set Me Free (French: Emporte-moi) is a 1999 French-Canadian film by Léa Pool and starring Karine Vanasse. It tells the story of Hanna, a girl struggling with her sexuality and the depression of both her parents as she goes through puberty in Quebec in 1963. The film heavily references the French new-wave film Vivre sa vie (It’s my life) by Jean-Luc Godard.
Emporte-Moi received various awards. Pool earned Genie nominations for best director and best screenplay, and the film was awarded the Toronto Film Critics Association Award for best Canadian film of 1999. At the Toronto International Film Festival, Emporte-moi was awarded the Special Jury Citation for Best Canadian Feature Film, and Vanasse earned the Special Jury Congratulation for her work on the film. It also received four Jutra awards, for best actress (Vanasse), supporting actress (Bussières), direction, and art direction, and was nominated in four other categories.
Internationally, the film received the Swiss Film Prize and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. It was also honoured at international film festivals in the United States, Italy, Belgium, Bosnia, and Spain.
Set Me Free – Emporte-Moi (1999)
Directed by: Léa Pool
Starring: Karine Vanasse, Pascale Bussières, Miki Manojlovic, Alexandre Mérineau, Charlotte Christeler, Nancy Huston, Marie-Hélène Gagnon, Suzanne Garceau
Screenplay by: Léa Pool, Nancy Huston, Isabelle Raynault
Production Design by: Serge Bureau
Cinematography by: Jeanne Lapoirie
Film Editing by: Michel Arcand
Costume Design by: Michèle Hamel
Set Decoration by: Serge Bureau, Diane Gauthier
Music by: Robyn Schulkowsky
Distributed by: Artistic License Films
Release Date: February 12, 1999
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