The Reader **SPOILER**

This is kind of a dated movie, but I was recently reminded of it because Kate Winslet won an Oscar last night for best actress. I am fairly fond of her. I don't usually have infatuations with movie star actresses, but she is an exception. The personalities of the characters she typically plays, I completely adore. Anyways, that is beside the point.

If you haven't seen "the Reader" yet and don't want to know any details of the movie you may want to stop reading. I will try to be as quick and short as possible to not be too specific, but you have been warned.

The male protagonist, Michael, has many AvPD traits in my opinion. He is sort of made out as the bad guy. The movie plays on the ambiguity of good and bad, but he hurts the people he loves in the movie through his AvPD traits: his mother, daughter, and the various romantic love interests in his life (including the other main protagonist Hanna).

I was particularly interested in the opinion of anyone that has seen the movie. Do you believe I am making a valid assessment of the character that he has AvPD traits? And if that is correct, do you believe the movie brings a valid portrayal of someone with AvPD traits? In other words, does the movie have truth of how someone with AvPD can hurt others?

I dunno, not really. Being divorced and not having a close relationship with your daughter isn't uncommon. It was aggravating to watch but understandable when he didn't go all the way into the prison to visit her. As far as I remember he didn't have self esteem issues or anything like that.

Off topic but I've never seen a movie where someone had the same name as mine, spelled the same way. And she was a nazi pedophile! (I don't really see her that way, but that's what people are saying and I thought it was funny.)

I saw the movie. Didn't see too much avpd in Michael. Hanna actually had some avpd traits. She wouldn't even admit she couldn't read even though it was ruining her life. She lost jobs because of it and probably ended up with the concentration camp job because of it.

The situation was a tough one for him. It obviously had a great impact on his life. It may have made him somewhat avoidant about relationships. But he did manage to get married and have a kid. That's something that can be very hard for avpd guys.

Yes hannnnaa - he should have visited her in prison. Especially during the trial. It would be interesting to read the book and get that clarified.

Parador wrote:Hanna actually had some avpd traits. She wouldn't even admit she couldn't read even though it was ruining her life. She lost jobs because of it and probably ended up with the concentration camp job because of it.

Yes, very true. I was also thinking borderline because of the way she loved him but screamed at him and pushed him away.

Wow, I am suprised. I thought Michael was rather distant from everyone. With the exception of Hanna, he is pretty much by himself throughout the movie.

He even admits not being open to anyone to his daughter of why their relationship was difficult. And she agrees. In fact, the one person he seems to have been somewhat open with was Hanna. That is perhaps why she was so special to him.

I just watched the movie, thanks to this post.

In my opinion, both characters are led to isolation by the secrets they refuse to reveal (for Hanna its illiteracy, for Michael its Hanna), so they both show "avoidant traits". There's a relevant voice-over by one of Michael's teachers in school talking about how the whole idea of character in western literature is defined by people holding specific information, which for various reasons they are determined not to disclose.

Michael displays these traits later in life, after losing Hanna, so to make them more obvious the screenwriters made sure to point out his isolation in every scene where Michael is displayed as an adult. The opening scene with : "You let me sleep because you cant bear to have breakfast with me" or "Does any woman ever stay long enough to find out what the hell goes on in your mind" shows how much they tried (which, in my opinion is a tiny bit too much)