Both Fences

Rating: 8/10 (22 April 2009)

More than a romantic story that revolves around the beauty of Secrecy that transcends Necessity; "The Reader" dares the audience to explore the possibilities of German guilt on the Holocaust but carefully dares not to beg for sympathy nor ask to be absolved from it. It provides a view of both sides of the fence. Questions the concept of Good and Evil, the difference between Morality and Law, how man perceives and applies it and subtly exposes the Hypocrisy of Nazi War Trials. Also it raises the issues of illiteracy; how threatening a notepad and pen can be to an illiterate therefore stressing the importance of education as a very liberating tool.
Despite Ralph Feines' outstanding acting career, he failed to deliver continuity between young Michael Berg who fell in love with a train conductor Hanna Schmitz, to the wiser Michael who visited her as an Ex-SS guard in a post WWII prison specifically illustrated at their meeting after many years of estrangement at the prison canteen setting. The table setting was awkward not because it meant to be awkward but because he played it awkwardly. The expected chemistry was absent, Ralph Feines' character felt so out of place and separated from the whole scene; he dwarfed behind Kate Winslet's frail frame.
David Cross portrayal of the young Michael Berg though a little rough around the edges and needs a few polishing, already guaranteed him the spot to be at par with the young Hollywood actors his age and older, considering he barely spoke English a year before landing the role. He is so natural and comfortable with the screen that he effectively evolved from being the naive smitten schoolboy to being the embittered detached law student struggling with a moral dilemma complementing Kate's Hanna Schmitz.
As for Kate Winslet who supposedly said in an interview that anyone who plays a Holocaust role would definitely snag an award. I daresay this to Kate: "How wrong can you be?" Kate Winslet's performance is exceptionally commendable; Hanna Schmitz did not win the Oscar's for her but instead Kate Winslet justified the existence of Hanna Schmitz. She transitioned gracefully between being a sweet nurturing lover, to a remorseless monster, to being the victim of circumstance subtly contrite of her past. Kate's acting has gone a long way since her Titanic days and evolved to be a superb stellar actress to be taken seriously.
"It doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what I feel. The dead are still dead" Overall the movie is good and sort of different in ways of delivery and plot. This is not your typical Holocaust movie. Despite modesty to stand out, "The Reader" is emotionally stirring, thought-provoking and contains all the elements that make a good movie worthy of time and penny. You may walk out of it unchanged but it definitely grows in you and moves you in ways beyond words.