THE READER

ENGLISH - (18PL) - 5 March 2009 - Drama/War/Romance
Distributor: Weinstein Company
Running time: about 122 mins.
Director: Stephen Daldry
Producers: Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Scott Rudin
Writers: David Hare (screenplay), Bernhard Schlink (novel)
Casts: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Alexandra Maria Lara
Plot: The story opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken. Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life - this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna's past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING SPOILER! Another late entry on this Oscar-nominated movie. It was released quite late in Malaysia and I had the opportunity to ponder on how great Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes are. The Reader is an adaptation from one of the best selling Germany novel about a long lost and huge age gap love relationship between two peoples.

Michael is a boy and he met a woman twice his age, Hanna. Hanna took care of her during his illness due to scarlet fever. However, as affections turned more in depth love, their relationship broke one day when Hanna decided to move to other place without much explaination - she left without a note. Years later, Michael now a solicitor found himself in a discussion regarding the Nazis wrong doing on the concentration camp conspiracy when he found out that one of the testifying accused was Hanna.

The story is strong for the need to show a honest and true love between two peoples from different age gap and background of life. It has a good story telling but cannot match Stephen Daldry's other full features - Billy Elliot and The Hours. The narration is less powerful to drive the movie alone, while the lack of empathy in the story becomes an obvious different from the novel. Although well-realization vision and highly dramatic, but I found that this movie easily been the weakest among the 5 Best Picture nominees due to lack in strength.

Of course the only thing that lift the movie high enough is perhaps the acting performance by Kate, David and Ralph. Kate Winslet is one of the British finest actress on this era. Hard to imagine but understandly her character as an angry, annoyed and self-determined Hanna Schmidt is delightful and out of the class. Her characterization in depth well and I do enjoy her role very much. The same goes to Ralph Fiennes, another fine actor from British Isles. He is as gorgeous as he is always and his role as an adult Michael pours in much emotion and devotion that made his character equally enjoyable.

With young guns like David Kross, a German young actor which barely speaks English in his home, his performance is certainly worth to mention especially his chemistry with Kate Winslet. Their hot scene in which not many 15 years old would enjoy is very intriguing and highly controversial.

Certainly this is a crowd-pleaser to see the actings by high quality. Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes are enough to raise the standard of acting so far up but the story telling narration is lack of power.

THE RATINGS.....

CAST - 4.0 stars

STORY - 2.5 stars

CINEMATOGRAPHY - 3.5 stars

EFFECTS - 3.0 stars

an overall>> 3.0 stars

GreenTea-O-Meter: 12.7