The Enigma That Is Hanna Schmitz, A War Criminal

Rating: Null/10 (8 March 2009)

The man who gave us the down-to-earth 'Billy Elliot' and the phenomenal 'The Hours' is back with a dark story about a woman and the mysterious motivations behind her actions. Stephen Daldry (one of my favourite directors) is a master storyteller. His films have a unique treatment that is sincere but somewhat complex. It is clear that the man puts a lot of heart into his films as he seems to devote attention to everything from actors, soundtrack, cinematography, sets to the smallest of things. He has an eye for visuals and almost every frame, while beautiful to look at, appears very authentic.
'The Reader' is no exception to the above mentioned points. This time it is the versatile Kate Winslet who gets the opportunity to work with him and the result is a magnificent performance. While Fiennes, Olin and especially Kross are good in their roles, Winslet marvelously captures Hanna's coldness, manipulation and fascination for reading. Note the glow in her eyes, how they light up when she is being read to and when she finally begins reading and how she manipulates Michael with sex (as for her sex itself does not seem to mean much more to her than physical pleasure). Winslet also skillfully displays the enigma that is Hanna Schmitz. After all, both Michael and the viewer wonders who Hanna is.
Why was she so cold and distant towards Michael? Did it have anything to do with the fact that she couldn't read and he could? We notice that Michael isn't the same anymore after discovering the truth about her past and he too is not able to form any close attachments until after Hanna's suicide (which is evident in the scene with his daughter). Why did Hanna contribute to 'killing' the children who read to her? Was literacy the primary motivation? The fact that they could read might be what drew her closer to them but she may have envied and resented them for the same reason because she herself did not know how to read. Perhaps her lack of guilt during the trial had to do with pride and guilt. After all she does reason that it was just a job. Perhaps she felt undeserving of absolution which is why she did not show guilt (as a result of which she got a harsher sentence than her partners in crime). Perhaps deep down she resented herself because she did not know how to read. By the end of the film, it is apparent that she does feel remorse. After her suicide she does leave money to Ilena. What motivated the suicide is questionable, just like everything else about her life.
'The Reader' is like a complex puzzle that is both fascinating and intriguing. It is an excellent movie for discussion and one that warrants revisiting. Perhaps then I'll be able to uncover more about this intriguing character or, instead, find more questions.