Stephen Daldrey (Billy Elliot) has crafted a slow burn of a film that starts out as one type of story and evolves into something much more.
Young German actor, David Kross, plays Michael suffering from scarlet fever and vomiting in an alley way. He is cared for by a kind stranger named Hanna played by the beautiful Kate Winslet. After his recuperation, he returns to Hanna's to thank her and disturbingly, they begin a passionate sexual affair, even though he is under age and she is about twice his! I have to say, I felt a bit uncomfortable watching these scenes. Imagine if it was an older man with a young girl, it would have been banned, but for some reason, this was acceptable.
As part of their relationship, Hanna loves it when Michael reads to her. She gets him to read the books he must read for school and then any books he can get. Hanna works as a tram conductor and is so good at what she does, they decide to promote her to working in the office, which she does not want to do so she leaves without saying goodbye.
Years late, Michael is a university student studying law and while on a class outing to view the War Crimes Tribunal, he comes across Hanna again, this time as one of a number of women accused of atrocious crimes, one of which was not releasing Jewish prisoners from a burning church. It becomes clear that Hanna does not have a full understanding of what she has done and quickly the other accused women claim she was the leader and that she wrote a report that spells out what happened. When asked to provide a sample of her handwriting, instead, she admits to everything.
However, it is now clear that Hanna is illiterate. That is why she loved Michael reading to her, because she could not read herself and she left her job because she could not read nor write. Her immature pride and inability to understand the full implications of her confession commit her to prison for the majority of her life.
All through the film, we see Michael as an adult played by the wonderfully understated Ralph Fiennes. At the time of the trials, he could have helped Hanna and let the authorities know that she is illiterate but he is torn between so many feelings and emotions. How can he have been with this woman, loved this woman, and she was capable of such horror? He tries to visit her but backs out at the last minute. Later in life, he decides to record one of the books he read to her. She loves it and wants more. Then she realises, she can borrow the book from the prison library and follow the words with the recording. Eventually she teaches herself how to read and write. She starts to write to Michael and he pulls back leaving her alone in her world again. Many years later, she has earned her release and Michael is the only person they have as a contact for Hanna and they ask him to help her adjust to life on the outside. He reluctantly sets up an apartment but on the day she is to be released, she commits suicide.
Did she not want to face the outside? With her literacy, did she also gain an understanding of her crimes and her culpability?
It is Michael who is left to contemplate what he has lost. What could he have done differently? He takes his daughter to places Hanna and he visited during their romance and he keeps her memory alive by telling his daughter of her.
This is a VERY slow movie but stick with it, it will reward you. A sad story and I would have liked a happier ending, but it was based on a book. Brilliantly acted and Kate deserved every reward she received. 8/10
