Schmitz takes young Michael as a lover, perhaps out of loneliness, a misplaced affection for the young man, or maybe to use him to meet her own needs. Schmitz is a plain woman who leads a normal life. Her feminine charms are hidden beneath a severe disposition and the purposeful ways she carries out her chores. Michael is able to unlock her inner passion, not so much with the love-making but when he reads to her. Hanna emotionally connects with the stories, leaving her practical existence behind. When the relationship is ended, Michael goes on to law school years later to study. He sees Hanna again, unexpectedly involved in a war crime tribunal. The shock of seeing her again and the moral angst Michael feels from the trial changes him into a reserved man (Ralph Fiennes plays the older Michael) who habitually can‘t form healthy relationships. The choices he has made will haunt him throughout his life.
The movie is set during different periods of Michael’s life but the director, Michael Daltry, keeps the flashbacks to a minimum. This serves to keep the viewer engaged with the back story as much as possible, while still seeing glimpses of the man Michael will become, until the past becomes the present. Winslet creates a character that it is easy to despise, pity, and feel compassion for all at the same time. Her expression searching for acceptance is both pathetic and heartbreaking, especially during the hearing. Winslet becomes the severe woman she portrays, serving as a pivotal piece of a powerful story.
“The Reader” may give pause to a viewer’s moral certainties about the kind of person who was involved in perpetrating the Holocaust. While not devaluing the loss of the victims, this movie breathes life into the person who made poor decisions and had to pay for them. While a dark horse selection for the 2009 Oscars, “The Reader” actually deserved most of the respect and acclaim it received.
Rated R for some scenes of sexuality and nudity.
