CINEMA: The Reader

Kate Winslet has two movies out this year (this and Revolutionary Road) showing just how versatile an actress she is. Of the two, this is the bravest performance as she plays the kind of character most actresses would shy away from. In post-Second World War Germany, teenager Michael Berg (David Kross) strikes up an unlikely relationship with tram ticket collector Hanna (Winslet), a woman twice his age and with a murky past. To begin with, the attraction is solely sexual, with Michael racing across town after school to bed Hanna, but as their relationship deepens Michael discovers Hanna loves being read to and the couple lose themselves in books. But this turns out to be a brief interlude and after one summer of love Hanna disappears.

It is not until he is at university that Michael rediscovers Hanna and her past is revealed, shocking him to the core. But the connection between the two cannot easily be broken and it is only when Michael is a grown man (played by Ralph Fiennes) that he finds the courage to face Hanna one more time and bring closure to their relationship.

Director Stephen Daldry handles what could be highly melodramatic material with a sure and discreet touch. The sexual scenes between young Michael and Hanna are played with great honesty and courage by both Kross and Winslet, and are more sensual than sensational. In fact, the relationship between Kross and Winslet is more successful than the later one between Fiennes and Winslet, but this is more down to the story arc than Fiennes’ ability.

The Reader is a well-measured, intelligent film, intelligently told and more than does justice to its source material. It’s a great vehicle for Kate Winslet’s increasingly impressive acting and will make you want to read the book.
Dee Pilgrim