The Reader

Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Stephen Daldry
Cast: Kate Winslet (Titanic), Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient), David Kross
Run Time: 123 minutes

Plot:

The Reader is about the story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who as a teenager in the late 1950s had an affair with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. Michael alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that at the expense of her freedom.

Watched this with Sylvia @ GV Europa on 23 January late night.

I watched the movies with lots of anticipations, and was satisfied with Kate Winslet's performance, think that was why she won the golden globe. However i was more attracted with David Kross's part for the young Michael, who fell for Kate's character, Hanna.

This is probably one of the more controversial roles of the young actor's career appearing nude on several occasions, including simulated sex scenes and full-frontal nudity. Although most of the actors in the film are well-known veterans, Kross, at 17, was relatively unknown, with only a small amount of knowledge of English. He had to learn the language to be able to act in a major role in this all English-language movie.

I like the arrangement of the movie, a cut over from the memory of the adult from his past. Michael had affection with Hannah and that affection affected his entirely life. Initially, I though that his love was probably due to his sexual needs but it turns out to be that he was so attached to her that he taught her how to read just like she taught him how to make love.

Comparing this with Angelina Jolie in Changeling, I preferred this because I felt that Angelina Jolie was not as convincing as Kate Winslet in such periodic theme. Kate Winslet probably did lots of homework in order to portray this character.

ah-deng says - 4½ / 5 Almost prefect but wished Ralph Feinnes could give better performances.