The Reader

This must be the year for for sympathetic Nazi movies, first Valkyrie and now The Reader. Unlike Valkyrie, The Reader is basically the story of just two people, a middle aged streetcar conductor played by Kate Winslet, and a teen-aged schoolboy played by German actor David Kross, and then by Ralph Fiennes as an adult. The two meet when Ms. Winslet's character briefly comforts the young man when she finds him ill on the street. The young man, spurred on by gratitude, and possibly some interest, seeks her out to thank her after he's recovered. A brief summer affair ensues, and when not rolling around in bed Ms.Winslet's character asks the young man to read to her, which he eagerly does whenever they meet. Flash forward about eight years later and the young man, now in law school, is observing a trial of some female concentration camp guards when he spots her again. This causes the young man much anguish and conflicted feelings. This film deals with the issues of shame, guilt, and complicity, in an enlightening and entertaining way. This film also does an excellent job in humanizing someone who was a small cog in a horrible atrocity apparatus, and the audience may feel some guilt about their own feelings themselves. This is a serious story told well, with excellent performances all around, and it's a movie you'll talk about as you leave the theater.

Rating - 4 Stars