Sympathy for the devil

Rating: 7/10 (22 January 2010)

The Reader is a film which for the first half of its running time goes to great pains to make sure the viewer sympathizes with the character of Hanna Schmitz. Nevermind the fact that Hanna, a woman in her mid-30s living a quiet life as a tram conductor in Germany in 1958, is carrying on an obviously inappropriate love affair with a 15-year old boy. And in actuality there is not much love at all in this supposed love affair, this is pretty much all about sex. Well, sex and reading as Hanna makes her young lover, Michael Berg, read to her before they get down to business. The reading angle is curious to say the least but that will make sense in time. Anyhow we watch as Hanna seduces the young, innocent Michael. And watch and watch and watch again as this movie certainly doesn't skimp on the sex scenes. And despite the nagging sense that this relationship is obviously wrong the film makes no bones about the fact that we're supposed to feel empathy with Hanna, to be on her side. And then just like that Hanna disappears. Eight years later we see her again. But now Hanna Schmitz is on trial. And we learn her dark secret. Hanna Schmitz was a death camp guard, responsible for the deaths of countless innocents. Are we still meant to have empathy for this woman? It's a lot harder now that's for sure. If we pity her maybe it is because of her other secret, the one she keeps hidden as she finds it to be even more shameful than her death camp atrocities. Sorting out our feelings for the complex character of Hanna Schmitz will not be easy. And we're just watching the story, Michael Berg is living it. His coming to grips with the truths with which he is confronted is what it seems this movie is ultimately all about.
This is a movie which asks a lot of questions to which it appears there are no comfortable answers. Most centrally, once we learn the truth about Hanna's horrible past should we not be repulsed by this character? She is pure evil, isn't she? Or was she just, as she rather coldly explains it, doing her job? After spending so much time embracing Hanna is it so easy, for us and for Michael, to all of a sudden perceive her to be some sort of devilish monster? There is no doubt that the story this movie has to tell is a unique and thought-provoking one. And with Kate Winslet playing Hanna you know you can count on a thoroughly professional and powerful performance in the key role. Perhaps even more impressive than Winslet is David Kross in his portrayal of young Michael. We expect Winslet to be brilliant, we also expect that she may thoroughly overpower and overshadow her young counterpart. Many young actors, matched against one of the leading actresses of our time, would have been completely in over their head in this thoroughly challenging role. But Kross holds his own. Ralph Fiennes bookends the film with his portrayal of the older, adult Michael and it almost seems as if he is in an entirely different movie than everybody else. He's there at the beginning, he's there at the end and he has a moment or two sprinkled in the middle but wherever he is there's a sense that in his scenes things are somehow a bit off. No fault of his performance which is fine for what he is given to do. But this movie belongs to Winslet and Kross. As the story plays out these two performers create characters you can't help but feel for. Even if in Hanna's case you ultimately find yourself questioning what exactly it is you should be feeling. And truth be told Michael will not be found to be faultless either. Maybe he doesn't always do the right thing. Sometimes though it is not crystal clear exactly what the right thing is.
There is no denying that this is a powerful film. And Winslet and Kross are certainly excellent in it. Perhaps it doesn't all come together as well as you might hope. The flashback structure doesn't always work perfectly. The pace does drag at times. And when the movie finally comes to its end there's a bit of a sense of anticlimax. It's as if the movie has reached its natural ending point but there's still another scene to be tacked on, a scene which makes sense for the story but by that point all the drama has really played itself out. But for whatever flaws there may be along the way there is no doubt that the story this movie tells is a fascinating and powerful one. And that story makes the movie well worth seeing.