The Reader

The Reader, just one in the never ending stream of holocaust films in constant release, has stirred up a substantial amount of controversy, primarily because of its Oscar nomination. I, for one, was floored upon seeing it nominated for Best Picture, let alone Kate Winslet for Best Actress. With numerous superior movies more accurately portraying the horror of the Nazi regime, this one chooses instead to show the legal aftermath, and leaves us with a new moral dilemma. Can those involved in performing the atrocities be either too ignorant or too naive to be considered responsible for their actions?

Winslet plays Hanna Schmitz, a single working woman who, through a chance encounter, begins an affair with a 15 year old Michael Berg, brilliantly portrayed in the first 2 acts by Micheal Berg. The movie takes too long to tell us too little; namely, he rushes to meet her daily after school and they fall in love, until one day, she disappears. Eight years later, now in law school, he is observing a war crimes case involving 6 Nazi female guards, one of which is Hannah. Secrets are revealed, and a question of moral ambiguity ensues. While the actions can never be justified, can they be at least understood?

Throughout the first 2 acts, there are flashes forward to an adult Michael, played by Ralph Fiennes, struggling to deal with the issues raised in the movie. When the offender, responsible of horrible crimes, is someone you love, are the crimes just as damning? Would a jury always be so quick to judge if they knew the criminal personally? How would it feel to be Ted Kaczynski’s mother? Better yet, his lover?

In many respects, this is not a holocaust movie. It is about those closest to the responsible, and the moral issues they face, and will still be facing, long after the perpetrators are gone. It does not glorify any actions, but does take an honest look at the aftereffects of those not directly affected by the Nazi horrors. Some serious questions are left unanswered; we never truly know why she turned down a promotion to take a new job, which might have helped us understand more about the character. I am giving nothing away here; the holes in the script do leave us needing more.

The Best Picture nomination does give it elevated expectations that The Reader never realizes. It is a solid film, and provokes thought and new insight, and nothing more. We sometimes forget that the nominations for Best Picture should go to the top 5 films out of the nearly 600 released in the U.S., and countless more worldwide. The Reader is a solid picture, but that’s all. Winslet, nominated for Best Actress, gives a strong performance in a role that has no need for complexity or depth. Spending the first 40 minutes naked does not make it Oscar-worthy, nor does the ability to tear up on command. Was this really one of the better performances of the year? I think not.