I read The Reader a couple of years ago when the film came
out, but only recently received the film itself to watch. Pleasingly, it is faithful to the book with
key elements of the plot, and with actors like Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes
it is also a pleasure to watch. It is
such a shame that they only have one small scene together.
The story itself concerns a young German boy just after the
war, who through a bout of fever meets an older German woman with whom he has
an affair. When she suddenly vanishes he
is distraught. However he sees her again
several years later, but in a courtroom where he discovers that she is a former
SS guard.
I won’t give any more of the plot away if you have not read
or seen it, since it is worth enjoying the story as it’s meant to be
enjoyed. Not that it is necessarily
enjoyable, it is actually quite a sad story, and one that stays in the mind for
several hours afterwards. The sign, I
think, of a good story.
The themes within the story are also quite powerful, too
powerful for me to really discuss here in any way that would do them
justice. I think you should see the film
for yourself and make your own conclusions, or even better, read the book.
As for the film it was excellent, with only two small points
of contention in that there was more sex than strictly necessary to the plot,
and the film itself was slightly over long.
All in all 8 out of 10.
I ordered the film on Netflix and saw it. It's a very good movie with an interesting story line and the scenes and milieus are excellent. Thanks for the tip!
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