When he falls ill on his way home from school, 15 year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. The two begin an unexpected and passionate affair only for Hanna to suddenly and inexplicably disappear. Eight years later, Michael, now a young law student observing Nazi war trials, meets his former lover again, under very different circumstances. Hanna is on trial for a hideous crime, and as she refuses to defend herself, Michael gradually realizes his boyhood love may be guarding a secret she considers to be more shameful than murder.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Though it didn’t win Oscar, it’s really very impressive. The film is an intimate portrait of an immoral affair, juxtaposed with the psychology of the Holocaust to which its symbolism applies. It is initially fascinating to watch David Kross’ intelligent, passionate young man grapple with Kate Winslet’s powerful but impenetrable ex-Nazi in their love affair. Hanna is one of Kate Winslet’s best performances, and Ralph Fiennes’ delicate, placid performance is a moving contrast to the fiery affair of his character’s youth. Once the affair is over, the film turns even more grim, interesting, and occasionally jolting as we watch the two grapple with the many sins of their past. It challenges the viewer to understand the difficulty of choosing morality over other, more persuasive motives, and though it does not pretend to offer resolution, the questions it raises will always be pertinent. It has really won my heart, though not OSCAR. And that’s what matters more to me.