1. The Reader
There's no denying the brilliance of Kate Winslet's performance in The Reader, playing Hannah, a Nazi concentration camp guard who eventually goes on trial for war crimes, though one of the finer points of the narrative sits a little uneasily with many. The story implies that Hannah is less culpable than her fellow Nazis because she was illiterate, and that because she does eventually learn to read near the end of the film, this is a form of redemption for some pretty heinous acts. Ironically, had Hannah actually confessed to her illiteracy, she could have avoided her life sentence. The argument is too strong that Hannah's illiteracy - and therefore, the presumption of her ignorance - is a mitigating factor for her acts; it excuses the fact that she still helped administer some monstrous fates upon poor souls. Is illiteracy something more embarrassing than mass murder? Apparently so, going by this film's message. Which movies based on real disasters have left you the most pissed off? Let us know in the comments below.