The Reader
In a strangely prophetic guest appearance on Ricky Gervais’ sitcom Extras
Winslet’s performance as Hanna Schmitz is very good in the story of a young man, Michael Berg, who meets and begins an affair with the much older Schmitz, and later finds that Hanna, who once disappeared from his life, may have committed a horrible crime during the Holocaust. Hanna seems sure to receive the most severe prison term amongst the group of women who were involved in the act, but the boy knows a secret that could potentially lead to her acquittal and assuredly to a substantially reduced sentence. The events of the affair and subsequent trail are told in Michael’s reflections 30 years after he began the affair as he still questions whether he did the right thing during the trail. His life has become a series of one night stands after his divorce, and his daughter feels that her father has purposely distanced himself from her life. He has never forgotten Hanna, and his affair with her has had a major impact on his life, as fond memories of first love have overpowered the decisions he has made in his relationships. He never lets Hanna go.
As we watch the progression of Schmitz’ life, we see a women who will never find peace but seizes opportunities for moments of happiness. Early in the film, she is a woman with an obvious secret, who seems to harbour regret as she struggles to forget her past. Later, as we witness her on trail for war crimes, we meet a woman who has rationalized her acts because she feels that she had no alternative to the action she committed. As her life moves forward after the trail, we witness a women resigned to the fact that she deserves no peace, and instead focuses on overcoming a shameful secret. Schmitz is in many ways a victim, and her explanation of the crime reflects the actions of a woman who held no prejudices against the Jewish people, though her inactions may make her guilty. The film asks tough questions about her trail in scenes where Michael and his classmates review the case in an academic setting. Their professor asks them to explore the meaning of guilt, not German guilt, as was common at the time, but criminal guilt, and a simple answer does not exist. Making a movie about the Holocaust requires respect for the Jewish victims and The Reader does a nice job in presenting the point a view of a child who grew up to write an account of the event for which Schmitz is on trail. Berg, who refuses to ignore Hanna, meets with this victim at a pivotal point in the movie and his actions reflect those of good man, who is trying to do the right thing, perhaps to atone for the one time he may have made a mistake.
In: Movies · Tagged with: Extras, Kate Winslet, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Daldry, The Reader
