Reason for Hannah's search SPOILERS
Compliments to the director and (screen)writer of this movie. It was by far one of the most excellent and original WW2 drama's I have seen for a long time.
I was therefore quite astonished to read the overall negative comments on this website. Many felt that the context inwhich the story of Lena unfolded was over the top and move rapidly to focus only on the WW2 part of the story. It was the original starting point of the story that added an extra special dimension and meaning to the movie! This movie is also about a mother/daughter relationship, a daughter's search for her roots (by trying to find out about her mother's past) and how war trauma can affect someone till the present day and even can affect the next generation's life.
It was not the death of Hannah's father that prompted her search, but first of all her mother's unusual behaviour during the funeral eg religion and Jewish rituals became a major importance suddenly. Then Ruth all of a sudden rejected Hannah's boyfriend because he was not Jewish. Then there was the unknown cousin whom the mother refused to acknowledge and who revealed a few facts about Ruth's past which were hitherto unknown to Hannah.
It was obvious to me that the shock and grief caused by death of Ruth's husband reactivated an old trauma from her youth Ruth hadn't dealt with as an adult.
She refused to talk about matters with Hannah, but expressed regret for not having known her mother. It's then that Hannah realizes she also wants to really know her mother.After all knowing and understanding your parents is essential I think for discovering and strengthening you own identity.
What Hannah learns eventually shocks her to the core! The father of Ruth who deserted his own wife and child in order to survive, the waiting and hoping for her mom in Rosenstrasse, her death, the being sent away to USA by Lena and then having to share the next caregiver with another girl.....
All reveal the suppressed and extreme anger, pain, betrayal, grief, disappointment of Ruth, the child. What a joy for this child to learn that Lena has loved her all these years and would love to see her again! To have her mother's precious ring returned to her, restoring her with what has been good and dear from an otherwise traumatic past.
And it must have been very healing that her story and pain have been "heard" by daughter Hannah who searched for it. The healing manifests itself in Ruth's sudden changed attitude and blessing of Hannah's wedding with boyfriend.
Besides the whole journey was also beneficial for Hannah in other ways. The passion of her search helped her to deal with otherwise "demanding" boyfriend, who expected her to drop everything when he needed her. She learned to respect her own needs and teached boyfriend that she has boundaries.
I thought this was a wonderful, heartwarming story by itself.
I hope that by writing it down others will also be able to see and understand/appreciate the richness and complexity of the movies plot.
It was a joy for me to recall and summarize it here.