Reader (The)

Genre: psychological drama
Director: Stephen Daldry
Release: 2008
Studio: The Weinstein Company, Mirage Enterprises, Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH – Miramax Films, The Weinstein Company
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.3/10


The Sting of a First Love Too Powerful and Guilty


Berlin, 1958. As Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet) was washing the sidewalk in front of her building, she noticed a sick lad hovering about and urged him to come up to her apartment for immediate care. While they were together, the boy, one Michael Berg (David Kross), could plainly see that Hanna was not as privileged as he was and their 20-year age difference was clearly understood but the encounter, as brief as it was, left an impression that would prove impossible to quell. With Ralph Fiennes (Michael Berg as an adult), Karoline Herfurth (Marthe), Hannah Herzsprung (Julia), Bruno Ganz (Professor Rohl) and Lena Olin. Music by Nico Muhly.

From what I have told you thus far, THE READER may seem like a standard ‘young man meets mature woman’ love story born of mushy feelings and headed for predictable ruin but, in truth, it encompasses much more. Michael and Hanna’s rocky relationship will conjoin past, present and future as well as conscience, class and culture in ways they would never have suspected when they first set eyes on each other. At the very least, you should know that their chance meeting will open up large-scale issues in addition to personal ones and, in this regard, Stephen Daldry’s film can be likened to CACHÉ, another feature about private matters inescapably linked to the big picture of life.

Since THE READER tells its story from a literary angle and begins with a flash forward to 1995, it needs time to unfold, establish its main characters and shake off an obvious, all-too-perfect premise. Nevertheless, it quietly draws you in from the outset – like the first pages of a book usually hint at greater things to come – until it reaches that pivotal moment when Michael and Hanna each face moral issues as painful as they are intractable. All of this is handled expertly by director Daldry and writer David Hare, working from a novel by Bernhard Schlink. Acting-wise, Kate Winslet serves up a restrained and reasoned performance as Hanna, a moody and impatient woman to whom life offers little consolation aside from a young lover, while David Kross plays a bright, slightly rebellious Michael. Notice how these two characters, though different in personality and background, will react similarly to the tragedy that befalls them. Ralph Fiennes, as the older, colder Michael, shows his usual talent but spends much less time on screen than movie posters and studio publicity may indicate. The other actors on board, especially Bruno Ganz and Lena Olin, are also above reproach. I see no reason to complain about production values, cinematography or editing; visuals, in particular, are crisp and aesthetic.

Since books are so important to Michael, there is one scene in THE READER that I found very revealing and I hope it will strike you as well. It’s the one where a teacher theorizes that ‘The notion of secrecy is central to western literature’. With due respect, I can’t say that I agree entirely with him but THE READER certainly proves his point with eloquence and surprising emotional force. May you profit from this lesson in life and culture as much as I did.


MBiS

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