FILM REVIEW: THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS

Hanna (Polley) is a Yugoslavian native working in a factory in Northern Ireland
She is forced to take a holiday. One day she overhears a conversation about a need for a nurse. She takes the job
as private nurse for burn victim Josef (Tim Robbins). He is bedridden on an oil rig after a fire on the rig, and has severe burns and is temporarily blinded. The rig is not operational awaiting an investigation, and few people remain on board.

Hanna talks very litte, and especially does not want to talk about
herself. In spite of his pain, Josef is constantly making jokes; Hanna's care for him includes holding the urinal and washing his entire body. As they get closer, they start sharing their experiences.

Hanna learns from a colleague that Josef was injured while trying to save a man who threw himself into the oil-rig fire and was killed.
Eventually Josef confides to Hanna his greatest secret guilt, and
she tells him about her previous life in the former Yugoslavia. She describes the horrors she endured during the Balkan Wars
including being kidnapped and raped. She tells of the death of her best friend who was kidnapped with her, and lets him feel the scars on her body from the wounds inflicted on her.

Josef is not getting better, and at Hanna's initiative he is taken to a hospital. When the helicopter lands, Josef wants Hanna to accompany him, but she walks away without a word. However, she leaves behind a backpack , and it contains enough information to give Josef a chance to find her. After he recovers, Josef travels to Denmark seeking to learn more about her. He then goes to the factory in Northern Ireland where she works. ...

I recommend this film to those who like films based on human relationships, love and friendship. I enjoyed it very much!!