The Reader - A Movie Review

This week we rented the movie The Reader after Lori had indicated she wanted to see it and I had heard that it had won or had been nominated for several awards. For those of you who have not seen it, here is my review.

The Reader
starring: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes

The movie is set in two different times and at first comes across as a bit confusing. Michael (played by Ralph Fiennes in adulthood) is a judge looking back on the events of his youth and the impact they had on his life. Unfortunately, this is not clear at the beginning and one begins to wonder what the role of Ralph Fiennes' character is in relation to the rest of the movie. Once that is established, the somber tone of the movie begins to set in. It is the somber tone that makes the movie as great as it is.

The movie is set in Germany. Michael's youth (adolescent years) occurs in the 1960s. His adulthood takes place in the mid to late 1990s. As a youth, Michael has a friendship with a lady named Hannah (played by Kate Winslet). Hannah teaches Michael many things and in return Michael reads to Hannah. Their friendship lasts only a year, as Hannah unexpectedly leaves, never revealing much about herself. The impact of the friendship is witnessed later when Michael attends law school and follows the trial of several former Nazi concentration camp guards.

Aside from the early confusion over the elder Michael reflecting back upon his youth, the only other aspect of this film that may turn people off is the lack of a wardrobe budget in the early parts of the film. (The should be read as the lack of a wardrobe!) Although it is artistically done, nothing is left to the imagination in the film's early going. This was quite a shock for us and I question whether or not the quantity of these early scenes were truly necessary. Nevertheless, the early scenes create the overall necessary effect and tone for the remainder of the movie. The somber tone is elevated by one twist and cemented by a second. The first will leave the viewer questioning Michael. The second will leave the viewer questioning Hannah.

In all, one of the best movies we have seen in a long time.

Grade: A-