Nicole Kidman was going to play this role but apparently did not, due to her pregnancy. Thank God and her reproductive system! Because Kate Winslet breathed such life into this role that even though she is a Nazi in the movie(that one word contains loathing fit for centuries) doing her 'job' we are drawn to her and even at times sympathise. The storyline and direction should also be given its due credit, because it managed to paint such an unbiased picture, letting the audience make all the judgements (all Indian media- take note) Playing perfect foil to Kate's Hanna was David Kross as the young Micheal. If only we had more young actors who had even half as much grasp of the craft as this young man had. Actually looking back, everyone was cast brilliantly.
The story takes us from a summer romance between a young german boy and an older woman to the war crime court rooms of post WW2 Germany and finally to the deep echoes of past actions that reverberate during the present. It is not a tale of redemption or absolution because this story closely follows real life. Rather it is a complex exercise dealing with what the young Michael exclaims in his Law class after a particular gruesome testimony about the holocaust "We are trying to understand!"
The plot is not hard to determine, even at the beginning of the movie, we understand the why's before Michael does but yet you will be riveted to the slow unveiling of Hanna and her motives, her life and its repercussions mirrored in Michael's life. A precious movie.
8/10
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