Review: The Reader

Review: The Reader

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

I was glad to see this morning that The Reader has been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and Kate Winslet has been nominated for Best Actress. The film deserves that kind of recognition. After reading some of the negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, however, I've come to the conclusion that many of the reviewers seem to have missed what the movie was about. I find it interesting that although many of the reviewers mention the nudity and eroticism of the film, none seem to note the many bathing and scrubbing scenes that accompany the nudity. In one way, these omissions are good because these scenes could be viewed as heavy-handed, metaphor-laden episodes. But, obviously, they're not because most reviewers don't even mention them. In another way, however, not noticing these scenes means that reviewers miss the import of the imagery: a futile attempt to scrub away the dirt and guilt of atrocities committed in the concentration camps during World War II. Winslet's character, as a former SS Guard, stands for all those who were directly responsible for the genocide. Ralph Fiennes' character, in one sense, stands for those who turned away and stood silent. But, more than that, like Winslet's character, his makes a choice -- a choice that causes harm. It's a movie about capital "E" ethics and the decisions we make. It's a movie about violence begetting violence and about sins of commission and sins of omission. Kate Winslet's performance is ultimately profoundly disturbing and enigmatic. She deserves the recognition she's getting.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it