The reader movie review. ‘The Reader’ Review: 2008 Movie 2022-10-23
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The Reader is a 2008 film directed by Stephen Daldry and adapted from the 1995 novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. The film stars Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes and tells the story of a young man named Michael Berg who becomes involved with an older woman named Hanna Schmitz.
The film begins with Michael, played by David Kross, as a teenager in 1958. He becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, played by Kate Winslet. The two form a relationship and Michael becomes infatuated with Hanna, who is considerably older than him. However, their relationship is short-lived and Hanna disappears from his life.
Years later, Michael, now played by Ralph Fiennes, is a law student and is shocked to discover that Hanna is on trial for war crimes committed during World War II. It is revealed that Hanna was a guard at a concentration camp and is being charged with the murder of 300 Jewish prisoners.
The film explores the themes of love, guilt, and responsibility. As Michael becomes more involved in the trial, he begins to see Hanna in a different light and must come to terms with the fact that the woman he loved was capable of such horrific acts.
Kate Winslet gives a powerful performance as Hanna, capturing the character's complexity and her struggles with guilt and remorse. Ralph Fiennes is also excellent as the older Michael, conveying the character's pain and confusion as he grapples with the truth about Hanna.
Overall, The Reader is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged film that delves into the complexities of love and the human capacity for both good and evil. It is a must-see for fans of historical dramas and those interested in exploring deeper themes.
The Reader (2008 film)
It conveys the struggle between our compassion and the reluctance to show mercy against the ones who did not. This is really a story about a man who has been shaken loose from innocence, who must face the fact that someone he loved or thought he loved could have been a monster. From this do you see the humanity within her. I like my heavy films to leave me more with questions not feeling sentimental about the characters. As their paths diverge and meet, their relationship changes as one observes the dramatic turn of events that brings them together again, and how Michael's actions have dire consequences for both of them. Hanna and Michael develop an admittedly inappropriate sexual relationship after a chance meeting in a street.
It does not sell tickets. David Hare's screenplay and the remarkable cinematography of the always remarkable Roger Deakins together with a sensitive score by Nico Muhly, this is indeed rarefied film-making. Years later the man is in law school when he goes to a war-crime trial and sees that the woman has been brought up on charges. Also, I felt that it was a shame there was so much nudity, as I would love for teens to see the film--it would be great to show them to instigate discussions and provoke exploration. The emotions felt here were not cheap gimmicks but that of feeling true sympathy and forgiveness towards what we would normally describe as something wrong, shameful and reprehensible. This is a fine film. Winslet plays Hanna Schmitz, a compassionate woman but also abrasive and stern.
The Reader Movie Review {4/5}: Critic Review of The Reader by Times of India
Perhaps the weight would not feel as palpable without the events of the first act, but either way, that portion of the film is too light and innocuous. While admitting her illiteracy would not have exonerated her, it would have had a great impact on the harsh sentencing she receives. She was isolated and secretive after the war, he became so after the trial. Which is what Hanna did, although, of course, it's not shown in the film. While some crimes are unforgivable, there is, shockingly, at times a connection with the perpetrator that allows us to see the person and extend a consideration that person never gave another. It's so good as a fictional story that it feels like it could be a true one.
She loves Berg, but can never quite allow herself to fully commit to that feeling, her past continuously nagging at the back of her head, remembering what it was she used to do with those who read to her. Hard to really describe and one you may enjoy but also one that may prove too challenging--as I could really see this causing some viewers to become angry, depressed or too emotionally taxing. When they're not in bed, she tries to keep things at a distance. The woman is later revealed to be an ex-Nazi prison guard on trial for her actions during the war; this involves extensive discussion of Nazi Germany's crimes against Jews and other victims of the Holocaust. It's perfectly clear you have a moral obligation to disclose it to the court. This is an amazingly believable film.
What probably appalled me most about the story was when the five women on trial with Hanna all received a mere sentence of four years and three months for their role as concentration camp guards. With Michael she allows herself some softness, and gives in to not only passion but emotion, sobbing when Michael reads a sad story to her. The story is quite compelling. Deep within Heidelberg, Germany, Michael David Kross , a young pubescent teenager haven fallen ill, is comforted by Hanna Kate Winslet , a hard working woman who is twice his age. Can we guess, on the basis of how most white Americans, from the North and South, knew about racial discrimination but didn't go out on a limb to oppose it? Michael is shaken to his core by growing evidence that his first love is, by any standard, a monster.
The book, meanwhile, really fleshed out the moral quandaries of the story in a way the movie simply couldn't. I also felt a radical jump when going from end where she has left the apt. Fifteen-year-old schoolboy Michael Berg David Kross first encounters his 36-year-old future lover Hanna Schmitz Kate Winslet by throwing up in her doorway. Retrieved March 31, 2009. If you know a secret, one that could exonerate someone from being found guilty of murder, should you help her even though you know she's accepted her guilt despite being unable to stop it? Another controversial aspect of the film is its frank sexuality during the scenes of the 1958 summer affair between Hannah and Michael.
But the actors are what drag the audience into this story. Her portrayal of the daughter is profound. Indeed, part of the purpose of writing the novel was so that Germany could collectively accept responsibility for its actions. David Kross plays the younger Michael Berg whose performance was undoubtedly a very good one, maintaining his presence in not letting himself being totally overshadowed. Of course, to his chagrin and disgust, Michael learns that Hanna is one of the six Nazi guards. I didn't know what was going on. This is especially true in West Germany of 1958.
There's also lots of talk about heavy, complex topics like complicity, guilt, shame, forgiveness, and responsibility. Michael finds Ilana in The film ends in 1995 with Michael driving his daughter Julia to Hanna's grave, telling her their story. By making this decision, he shifts the film's focus from the subject of German guilt about the Holocaust and turns it on the human race in general. Life sometimes has a way of starting out passionately and trailing off into vagueness, but movies are supposed to correct that, not imitate it. However, while the second half is the most intriguing and resonant, it also contains the one activity that I found abhorrent.
The Reader Movie Review Examples That Really Inspire
Kross is also quite good as the young Michael, portraying both the callow joys and confidences of boyhood and the uncertain moral questions of the young man he grows to be. He plays Berg as an adult. The book is in three parts. When Michael returns to her place, he finds it totally empty. The power involved in the characters' actions all weigh heavy on those they touch. I naturally thought that it would make an interesting movie. With World War II over, Germany, in 1958, is still recovering.
Retrieved December 28, 2007. The Reader is a film worth watching and interesting because of its unique point of view and its characters dealing with the consequences of their lives. The writing by David Hare allowed actors such as Ralph Fiennes, David Kross and of course Kate Winslet to give such stunning and deep performances and take the film to another level. Lena Olin as a unyielding camp survivor and Bruno Ganz as a sagacious law professor put in memorable appearances. I can't remember another film that made me feel these emotions for a character especially after learning one startling secret after another. This is a story of honest and proud people trying to remain true to who they believe themselves to be.