Mediocre script supported by excellent acting

Rating: 5/10 (28 January 2009)

Without the masterful acting by Kate Winslet, The Reader would have been a mediocre film overall.
It is a touching story of a woman trying to hide from her past, only to realize that death is the only way to atone for the cruelty she has committed as a former Nazi prisoner guard.
The storyline is simple and to be honest, I don't think the nude scenes are even necessary at all. The bond between the older woman and an under-aged (Michael confessed of being 15 year-old later in the film) can be expressed aptly without having to be explicitly and substantially depicted in the many sexual encounters. I think the script can be improved and trigger more empathy in the audience if the kindness nature of Hannah can be described more vividly. The script prefers to show the more sensual, sexual and yet inquisitive nature of the central character. Then again, all these can be made more balanced, with a little touch of adjustment to the overall emotional repertoire of the character.
This film is lucky to be supported by the many good acting throughout the film, including that from minor roles such as that of the American girl/woman who survived the fire and Holocast.
I find it difficult to grade this film. For Winslet's acting, 10/10. No doubt about it. I find her acting is much stronger than Angelina Jolie's acting in Changeling, which is somehow wooden. Jolie certainly does not have the range of emotional acting ability as Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep. For the script, I would give it a 3/10.