Movie Review — The Reader (2008)
Adapted from a widely acclaimed German novel of the same name, the movie skillfully deals with a number of issues — the contradictions between love and hatred, the the problems of shame, the responsibilities of the Holocaust by post-war German generations, the essence of law, and the importance of literacy.
Back to the 1950s in Germany, a debilitating scarlet fever Michael suffers makes this innocent young man encounter voluptuous middle-aged Hanna. Being obsessed with genuinely physical intimacy, they have expeditiously developed intense relationship with love-making and book-reading in return. However, their crush towards each other only takes a small part of their lives, but the memories turn out to be the most powerful and significant influences in the rest of their lifetime.
“The notion of secrecy is central to Western literature. The whole idea of character is defined by people holding specific information which for various reasons. sometimes perverse, sometimes noble, they are determined not to disclose”. The essential concept of this movie is clearly revealed from the lecture in Michael’s literature class — they both have secret shames they would make all-out-effort to keep, which gradually grow into the self-devouring devils .
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A complex and ambivalent feeling springs into my heart after finishing this movie, I found it unexpectedly difficult to encapsulate my thoughts and opinions. Therefore, lingering on a loss for words, some questions uncontrollably rush through my mind: “How did their secret shames impact their lives?”, “Can illiteracy deteriorate people’s critical thinking and moral judgement?”, “Why is Michael unwilling to meet her or write back to her?”, “Does Hanna feel regret for what she has done?”, “Is feeling regret important if the past is in the past?”…
I believe they have deeply loved each other, but merely not at the same time. Without doubts, Michael has experienced a passionate and unconditional love for Hanna, however, in the same time he inevitably feels a bit ashamed so that he doesn’t tell anyone this affair. Moreover, Hanna never truly gives the love Michael desires, for example, she rarely expresses her concerns about how he has been or what he thinks.
In fact, I think their secret shames could be interdependent to each other. When people have a closely guarded secret hidden in their minds, we would try our best to protect that, with no hesitation. As for Hanna’s case, needless to say, her illiteracy. Therefore, at this moment when Michael falls for Hanna with all his heart, she doesn’t love him as much as he loves her. If we missed the chance to improve something we are bad at, it’s easy for us to reject to learn it ever after. Hence, Hanna chooses to be arrogant to hide her inferiority — she always calls Michael “kid’, teaches him how to properly make love, and requests him to read for her — which therefore deepens the shame Michael felt as a result.
Also, I’m wondering whether illiteracy would deteriorate people’s critical thinking and moral judgment. In response to this question, I guess yes to some degree. As Hanna performs, she only focuses on her job without giving it a second thought, and maybe that’s why she can’t understand why she shouldn’t admit what she did without any doubts and hesitation in court. However, after she starts to read when she is in the prison, I feel that she understands why what she did was terrible, and tries to make up for that. From this point of view, I am deeply grateful that I can read, which could sharpen my thinking, and prevent me from manipulation of ideologies.
Besides, for what reasons did Michael decide not to meet Hanna before the last judgement? This question could be a very complex issue, and the answers might depend on everyone. But for me, I think Michael realized that who he loves is the women he met when he was young instead of this women standing in the court. At 15 he can love Hanna with all the efforts, but at this moment he can’t — he has other important things to care: the morality, the historical burdens, and his own career future as a lawyer. Besides, being aware of the fact that Hanna herself chooses to give priority to hiding her shame of illiteracy, he decides to respect her own choice. Thus he begins to make tapes for her, probably out from his guilt and nostalgia — He is guilty that he didn’t testify for her, and the memory of the love takes an extremely important part in his life. Also from my personal feeling, when in court, the victim accused that Hanna would pick weaker people to read for her, but in the end still send them to death, so she is actually not kinder. And if I were Michael, I would feel hurt and confused — whether she needs me because I would read for her (since she made the rule, “read first and make love after”).
As for Hanna, I felt that she started to deeply love Michael when in the prison. Michael obviously became her only hope, so she even faced her hidden shame — illiteracy — for him, and wrote with shaking handwriting to him. Sadly, without any reply from Michael, she understands that Michael doesn’t love herself in the old but pure way anymore, so she decides to commit suicide.
Nevertheless, like what Michael confused — whether Hanna feels regret for what she has done. The answer for me is yes, but maybe without awareness. Because Hanna did cry in the church during the biking trip, and she tries to make up for the victim by the money she saved… However, I think feeling regret for what we have done is undoubtedly crucial because it is the gateway to atonement. Although it is said that the past is in the past, the scars stay in the present, and we just can’t let go off the begone if we still have the chance to make some differences. The future can influence the past.
If you were Michael, will you made the same decision — only making tapes instead of meeting her in person? If I were Michael, I would still go to meet her at least once because I have loved her, and that’s the fact that I cant’s ignore. Thus, I would want to know what she really thinks and feels, and try to understand her. But if the result is too disappointed, it might decrease the degree I love her, as Michael feels — he has a hard time accepting the truth.
Lastly, if you were Hanna, what would you do if you were selected to help the Nazi at that period? “What is law? Is it what is on the books, or what is actually enacted and obeyed in a society? Or is law what must be enacted and obeyed, whether or not it is on the books, if things are to go right”? It might be collective responsibilities, but only those who were brought up received the legal sanctions, then is it the justice? And how long should the German second generations live in this historical shadows?
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Besides the historical burdens and controversial issues left from the Nazi, this story further deepens the focuses with the emphasis on morality and humanity. Also, it was superbly acted by Kate Winslet, David Kross and Ralph Fiennes, which leads this movie to a higher level.
“I’m not frightened. I’m not frightened of anything. The more I suffer, the more I love. Danger will only increase my love. It will sharpen it, forgive its vice. I will be the only angel you need. You will leave life even more beautiful than you entered it. Heaven will take you back and look at you and say: Only one thing can make a soul complete and that thing is love.” I love this monologue Michael said since it is so touching but also ironic to some points.
<Digression> The secret shames people would choose to keep with all the costs remind me of one of Carl Jung’s theories — the concepts of “Persona” and “Shadow”. Anyway, avoidance from inferiority would never be a solution.
