The Reader – 2008

It was amazing to me how Kate Winslet had never picked up an Oscar prior to her 2008 win for The Reader. Having already been nominated six times, four in the best actress category The Reader was surely her best performance yet.

Her portrayal of Hanna Schmitz a bus conductor and former Nazi concentration camp guard was nothing short of exceptional. Delving too much into the plot would be unfair, and may give much away for others wanting to see it.

Post-WWII Germany and nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes and David Kross) re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.

The film cuts between the young Michael (Kross) and the older (Fiennes) to give us an understanding as to how the same person was able to deal with Hanna in contrasting eras.

There is no doubt it is a compelling drama, and it certainly touches the boundaries of risqué film. Winslett is for her part, aside from being a accused mass murderer, a warm and caring lover, but you can add pedophile to the list.

German actor Kross is innocent enough to succumb to his desires, as well as convey his true feelings without much of an expression on his face. Fiennes adds his experienced and committed talent to the proceedings but you wouldn’t expect anything less from him.

In some aspects the film carries with it a certain amount of shock value, its elegantly directed and thus deserving of its high acclaim as one of the films of 2008.

View the Trailer

Rating: (4/5)

Stars: Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Kate Winslet, Jeanette Hain

Visit the IMDb page for The Reader

Please feel to leave a comment about this film, I would love to know what you think and I will do my best to respond!