Review of the movie "The Reader"

The Reader is a smart, well paced, sexually charged drama that takes place both in the past and the present. It follows the relationship of Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes) and his affair with an older woman, Hannah (Kate Winslet)

We first meet Michael as a teen getting off a train in Germany and proceeds to get sick on a sidewalk. A kind older woman generously helps him clean himself up and give him a hug. It turns out that Micheal has Scarlet Fever and is bed ridden for months. When he finally recovers he heads back to the place where the stranger had help him to say thanks. That's when his affair with Hannah Schmitz begins. As the affair continues between the two it also evolves. Michael begins to read to Hannah. And she loves it. Until one day Hannah mysteriously disappears.
Spoiler Alert

Almost a decade later Michael is a law student following a case of some Nazi guards on trial for war crimes committed at a internment camp. Then he hears a familiar voice and realizes Hannah is one of the people on trial. Micahel is heartbroken because the Hannah he new would have never done this. And she admits to something she didn't do rather then to admit to the court that she can't read or write.
Spoiler End

The Reader is both haunting and a reminder that the choices we make will follow us forever. Hannah is not presented as a bad person but a person who made wrong choices.

The Reader is not a movie for everyone. It is very much driven by dialogue and human emotions. But it does a wonderful job at it. I very much enjoyed that aspect of the movie. Not to mention the performance of Kate Winslet is amazing (she is definately not ashamed of her body). And it weaves a tale that will leave you thinking about this movie for awhile.

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