Compelling film-making...

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2009)

Starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, two of my favorite actors, The Reader was what I expected it to be...an absolutely stunning movie rich with excellent acting and a compelling tale. The movie is about how a young man and Kate Winslet enjoy a sordid love affair one summer (sordid because the boy is only 15 and Kate Winslet is in her 30's). The boy falls in love with her but one day, Kate Winslet packs up and leaves without telling the young man and his heart is broken. Later in life, the young man is a law student and Kate Winslet's character is at the center of a huge trial. The movie explores themes of love, loss, and "what is the right thing to do?" As with most Kate Winslet movies, there is an abundance of nudity in this movie, which in my opinion, never fails to increase the sense of realism and eroticism in a particular scene or shot...and that goes for all movies; not just The Reader and not just Kate Winslet movies. The musical score to this movie supplements the visuals well and the acting is just top notch. A must-see film in my opinion.