The Reader (2008) (Blu Ray) - 8/10

The Reader can definitely be considered a mature film, one that requires the emotional investment of the audience to identify with people who worked during the holocaust and the lives it affected in it's aftermath. While watching this again on Blu Ray, I found that what makes the story work so well is the way we are given the facts surrounding this man's relationship with Hannah and the flashback sequence that explains all the little details that we know have changed his life. Kate Winslet's oscar winning performance in this film is brilliant, a role that demanded she bare it all and yet still convey a rainbow of emotions to show how conflicted her demons are of her past. I liked the silent relationship that builds b/w her and Michael and the way that they both are basically using eachother to get what they need out of the situation. As we contrast her outlook on life which is trying to cleanse herself of these atrocities she was forced to witness with the curiousity he has about sex and the love he feels for this older woman, it's hard not to be a little creeped out.

The small hints that are dropped though like how she can't read the menu or the books he brings home all have meaning that helped me come to terms with her innocence by the end. From the intimate sex scenes, reading in bed, to her bathing him almost like a child, we see the reason each of these characters have for coming back to eachother which creates an emotional connection to both of them so when the film comes back to the present, we know what they've been through. This film is powerful in the ideas it brings forward regarding the Holocaust and how normal people were asked to work for the SS and the concentration camps not b/c they were bad but b/c they were forced to. The Reader is ultimately a movie that asks for forgiveness from Hannah's past and shows the deep impact love can have on someone's life if it's not fulfilled. I appreciated the recurring motifs of the books and how by the end he shows that he still loves her by recording his voice of all the stories and ultimately teaches her to read when she is on the verge of death. This movie is raw physical emotion coupled with accepting your past and forgiving someone who has made an impact on your life different than you expected. I enjoyed this movie for the deep characters and controversial subject matter.