Kate Winslet is without doubt, a very talented woman. The British actress never fails to stir up great movies and yet with 5 Oscar nominations under her belt, seemed to never be able to score that coveted golden man, until now.
In the much-acclaimed The Reader, Winslet takes on the role of tram conductor Hanna Schmitz, a seemingly stern lady who stumbles across a young boy named Michael Berg (David Kross), on his way back from school. Michael was suffering from scarlet fever and Hanna helps send him home. Once recovered, he pays a visit to Hanna in order to thank her and the two soon end up having a secret affair, despite Hanna being twice Michael’s age. He realises that she loves being read to, so their regular schedule involves him reading to her books like ‘Huckleberry Finn’ and ‘The Lady with the Little Dog’ before indulging in passionate lovemaking. The latter is excessively cut due to our snip-happy censorship board and roughly a quarter of the movie is in a mess thanks to cuts in the conversation.
Thankfully there are fewer cuts later on in the movie. Despite the seemingly strong bond between the two, Hanna eventually disappears one day and Michael is left heartbroken and devastated. The movie shifts many years later and Michael is seen to be a law student. While attending a Nazi war crime trial, he is shocked after learning that one of the defendants is none other than Hanna herself. While Michael possesses information that could ultimately save Hanna from her sentence, things are made complicated by the fact that she herself is ashamed and unwilling to reveal this to the court.
Later on we are introduced to a grown-up Michael (Lord Voldemort aka Ralph Fiennes), who has a daughter out of a failed marriage. His role is not utilised as much as it should, and doesn’t seem to have impact that relative newcomer Kross has. Appearing early in the movie dismissing a one-night-stand, he is seen later on in the movie reading books into a tape recorder. How does this connect together with the rest of the story? Watch it and find out!
I guess 6 is the lucky number, and Winslet certainly shone in her role as Hanna Schmitz, finally earning her a well-deserved Oscar for this movie. This might not be a movie for everyone (usually the case with Oscar-nominated films), but it is certainly a moving tale of consequences and reconciliation.
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