MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

The Reader Rated R

Directed by Stephen Daldrey.  Starring Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes.


Photo © Weinsten Company
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

It’s not every film that combines sex, genocide, and the love of reading – and I, for one, am glad for that!  Still, I must say that there’s something to be said for the sheer bravado attached to a project such as this.

Based on the best-selling novel by Bernard Schlink, The Reader tells the story of Michael Berg (David Kross), a 15 year old German boy who begins an affair in 1958 with Hanna (Winslet), a sympathetic but somewhat distant tram conductor.  During the summer of their illicit liaisons, Hanna asks Michael to read her books before they make love. 

Years later, as a law student, Michael will observe Hanna on trial for some dark secrets in her past, and begin another struggle based on the consequences of decisions made and decisions set aside.  The film does not try to make either Michael or Hanna sympathetic characters, deciding instead to be a film of ideas. 

While Kate Winslet once again does a great job of acting as Hanna (and ages over the course of several decades], I found little of interest in the character of Michael.  And, quite frankly, the story was at times exasperating, contrived, and heavy-handed. 

While Hitler’s acts of genocide against the Jews deserve regular reflection, the subject matter is really hard to deal with, since it demands that we go to the darkest of places.  While there is a final speech by a Holocaust survivor that is quite moving, one scene does not make for a great film. 

There’s a lot of great reading in this movie, though, so bring along a notepad and take care to remember the books that pop up on screen.  Your summer trips to the library will be most worthwhile.

Pitchfork Rating: Three halos (Good performances and some interesting reflections on guilt, responsibility and the value of literature cobbled onto an ungainly and often creepy storyline.)
Five pitchforks (The Holocaust, nudity, sex scenes between an adult woman and a minor.]

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