Solid Drama

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2009)

Years after a young man ends an affair with an older woman in post-WW2 Germany, she is accused of war crimes. The first third of the film, which focuses on the affair, goes on a bit too long and runs out of steam, but things become interesting thereafter as we eventually learn the fate of the woman. Winslet is quite good in her Oscar-winning role, effectively conveying the conflicting emotions of her tragic character. She is ably supported by Kross and Fiennes, playing her lover as an eager young man and a reserved older man, respectively. Daldry's direction is marked by visual elegance and dramatic moments that are moving but not overly sentimental, helped by a fine score by Muhly.