This film has Oscar bait written all over it. From the music, to the subject material, it screams to be noticed as important. Sure enough, it worked, because it earned a Best Picture nomination and a Best Actress win for Kate Winslet’s performance. My curiosity coming in was if it was deserving of all these nods.
Without giving too much away, The Reader is a little strange to watch because it centers on an affair between 15-year old Michael Berg (David Kross and later, Ralph Fiennes) and a mid-30’s bus-ticket puncher, Hanna Schmitz (Winslet). What starts as seemingly just a sexual adventure blossoms into a relationship that ends suddenly for both characters. The way the two meet again is not as much surprising as a moralistic decision that no person would want to take on.
The Reader takes a little time to get into. I didn’t know if it’s because of the uneasiness of the main relationship at first, but once the plot arrives at the turning point, my interest was set in. Kate Winslet is very good here giving a sympathetic feel to at the very least, a faulted character. I would usually go more in depth about both the plot and setting, but trust me, the less you know about the story going, the more you will get out of it at the end.
I wasn’t blown away by the total package of the film, but the moral dilemma forces you to invest, which made for a movie that is very much worth seeing, but won’t stay in my subconscious for a long while.
I give The Reader 3.5 out of 5 tape recorders.
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