The Reader, Stephen Daldry's Oscar-winning flim, based on the novel by Bernard Schlink; tells the story of Micheal Berg, A fifteen year old German boy in the 1950's who meets an older woman in her mid 30's( Hanna Schmitz) and has an affair with her that encompasses a summer. knowing little of her past. Micheal falls in love with her during their time spent together Hanna ask Micheal to read to her, I won't give the movie away to those who've not seen it or read the book, although the so called twist in the story is pretty evident! This movie is about love and guilt I loved this movie because it is really a romance, a tragic romance and its also much more. Mostly it lingers in the mind about loving someone even when they are wrong or not wrong I don't know! I will say that the performances by the actors were superb especially the kid David Kross, I know why the boy was so believable in the role because he was actually a kid not an adult playing a kid.
Even though Hanna has the no nonsense about her most German women are famous for, she is isolated she has walls built up around her , in essence you can tell that Hanna has been hurt, that something happened to her to make her the way she is she so in to herself but I think its her way of protecting herself.As harsh as Hanna seems sometimes her ignorance also makes her seem somewhat innocent and certainly vulnerable. Hanna tells Micheal once after a misunderstanding on the trolley cars when she thinks he was avoiding her that "he doesn't have the power to upset her", which obviously he does because she is very upset.
It took 2 viewings of this movie and reading the book to fully grasp this movie. I had to really think about the characters from an emotional standpoint not just what was being shown or being told. I honestly think Micheal was so heart broken when Hanna left him, so emotionally tied to her that the reason he would not help her when he had the chance and every opportunity to do so was because he wanted to punish her for leaving him, and leaving him emotionally unfulfilled. With Hanna in prison he would always know where she was. I think because he couldn't shake Hanna or stop wanting her , desiring her and longing for her I also think that he was so mad at her, that when she did go to prison and she learned how to read and write he didn't write back to her for two reasons, because he didn't trust himself and again he wanted her to feel the pain that he had felt when she left him.
Micheal couldn't face her because he loved her and didn't know what to do about that. He didn't trust her enough or himself enough to be near her, I think the chance that she might abandon him again was just to much for him he couldn't take the chance of losing her again. I think once he found Hanna again at the trial he was going to have her one way or another. In essence his guilt and his inaction and his not dealing with Hanna, tied him to her emotionally for life. Micheal could have possibly had a life with Hanna and been happy, at least he would have gotten what he wanted. He could never let her go he compared every woman to her and no woman for him would ever do or be complete because they weren't Hanna; but instead he made her his prisoner as he was her prisoner. This is a tragic love story on many levels, its about the choices two people make and the effects of those choices. I wish that Micheal could have faced Hanna and his love for her, not just for Hanna's sake but for his too. Even though I adore this movie, there are a few things I would have changed and so I plan on writing a fan fiction about it later on! Its in the works
