The film has also been nominated for several other major awards, most notably Best Director and Best Picture at the Academy Awards (though it didn’t win for either). Now for my review, I will start by saying that this is a dreary movie. Not in a “it’s a waste of time” kind of way, but in the way that you probably don’t want to watch this on a rainy day when your dog has just died a few days earlier. As far as the movie goes, it starts off in Berlin in 1995, and we are introduced to Ralph Fiennes’ character Michael Berg. He then flashes back to 1958 Neustadt when, as a 15 year-old boy, he is nearly passed out in the doorway of an apartment building from the effects of scarlet fever.
He is given some assistance by a kindly woman (Kate Winslet’s character Hanna Schmitz) who happens to live in the building and finds him suffering. Hanna makes sure the boy gets home safely, where doctor’s orders state he must rest for three months until he is well enough to go back to school. After he recovers, Michael wants to thank the woman who helped him, and he brings flowers to Hanna at her apartment. At first, the 36 year-old Hanna seems reluctant to converse with someone so young, but then we see that she is a very lonely woman and has developed a crush on young Michael.
She seduces him, and the two become embroiled in a passionate affair. Michael begins skipping school to spend time with Hanna, and although she remains distant and vague about her own life, it is apparent that she has an affection for the boy that has blossomed into love. They spend much of the summer together, and Hanna insists Michael read to her, which he enthusiastically does in exchange for more time with her. We, the audience, begin to pick up on the fact that Hanna can’t read, while Michael’s realization of this doesn’t come until later in the movie. The relationship lasts throughout the summer, but then Hanna is offered a promotion at her job and abruptly disappears. Michael arrives one day to find her apartment empty and his older lover gone without a trace.
He tries to forget about her, and then the film flashes forward to 1966 to his years as a law student. As part of a special seminar taught by his professor (who also happens to be a Holocaust camp survivor) Michael and his classmates must observe a trial of several women who were accused of letting 300 Jewish women die in a burning church when they were SS guards on the death march following the 1944 evacuation of Auschwitz. Michael is shocked and surprised to discover that Hanna is one of the defendants. Day in and day out, Michael intently watches as Hanna testifies.
The other accused women, who are looking to pin the brutality of the crime on someone other than them, claim that Hanna was in charge, and that she wrote the report after the incident detailing what happened in the church. Hanna denies it at first, insisting that all the women were equally guilty, but when the court asks her to submit a handwriting sample, Hanna concedes and falsely admits that she wrote the report. This is when Michael comes to the horrible realization that Hanna cannot read or write. She has been functionally illiterate her entire life, and rather admit that to the world, she would rather accept the false blame that had been laid upon her. As a result of this, all of the women except Hanna get granted 4 year sentences in prison. Hanna receives life. The film flashes back and forth between young Michael and his older counterpart (played by Fiennes) as he reminisces back on that time.
It is obvious that Michael wishes he had done more for Hanna, and so he starts recording cassette tapes of him reading books and sends them to Hanna in prison. Hanna is stunned to receive the surprise packages, and over the years they continue this dance – he sends books on tape, she uses the tapes to teach herself how to read and write and sends him letters in return. I won’t tell you how the movie ends, but as I said, don’t watch it if you’re expecting to be uplifted. The performance from Kate Winslet was dependable as always. My favorite Winslet movie is and continues to be 2006’s Little Children, but this is notably one of her best efforts to date. Ralph Fiennes does not have a lot of scenes in the movie, but he is still the heart of the movie and is able to convey his pain and anguish as he wonders how things would be different if he had somehow been able to help Hanna.
Young actor David Kross, who played Michael as a boy, is on his way to becoming a big star. Understated and subtle, he gave an extremely wonderful performance here (and I’m sure he didn’t mind getting nude with Kate Winslet for literally every other scene for the entire first half of the movie.) Kross, who was 17 when he filmed this movie, is relatively unknown and had only a limited knowledge of the English language. He had to learn the language to be able to take on the major role, and that’s a great feat in itself which only makes his performance all the more special. I felt his performance. I felt his excitment over the illicitness of the affair, and his desire to want to be with her every second of the day. Simply just a very good performance from Kross. So if you’re searching for a movie to help you see the Holcaust from a different point-of-view (as Hanna explains, the women were “just doing their job”), then I recommend you check out The Reader.
By: Frank Bilotta
Frank helps people learn about Dish Network Satellite TV, and how they can save money every month with popular Dish Network Packages. Frank and his team also help people determine if satellite internet is right for them.
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