“The Reader” –
Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Cross
Okay, I really didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I found this incredibly tragic and a bit stupid. The premise was fascinating though; a former German concentration camp female guard is brought to justice years later and in the court room is the boy, now a young man, whom she had an affair with when she was in her thirties and he still in his teens. The part that becomes so clear is that her life is entirely shaped by her illiteracy and the enormous effort she uses to conceal that. She in fact takes responsibility in court for a document she didn’t write, let alone ever read or understood for fear her secret would be known. Yes, I do agree that illiteracy is not an excuse for ignorance, abuse, or murder and she was clearly guilty of all three. I get that, I do, yet I didn’t love the film. I think while I am a fan of Winslet, I just don’t enjoy Fiennes. Ever since the English patient I have not enjoyed his performances. I think Cross did a terrific job as the young man in lust with the older woman and only uncovered her secret years later. In fact I think this movie would have been improved by a shorter timeline.
