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If there’s one thing “The Reader” is above all else,
it’s a commentary on the power of the written word. This
doesn’t necessarily mean that the act of reading will change
your life; sometimes, books have a very different power,
the kind that can link people together in the most extraordinary
ways. At other times, it’s not about what has been printed,
but about what has and hasn’t been written by hand, and
to say any more would be too revealing on my part. ***
Based on Bernhard Schlink’s novel “Der Vorleser,” “The
Reader” is an absorbing examination of an unconventional
love between a teenager and a war criminal. It’s also a
coming-of-age story, which isn’t to suggest that it’s solely
focused on a transition from childhood to adulthood, or
more figuratively, from ignorance to knowledge--there’s
another kind of maturation at work here, one that takes
the processes of reading and writing and uses them for redemptive
purposes. ***
The main character is Michael Berg, a German whose
story shifts back and forth between 1958 and 1995. When
he’s introduced as a fifteen-year-old (David Kross), he
lumbers off a bus into pouring rain, in the initial stages
of scarlet fever. As he sits just inside a rundown apartment
building, vomiting, a woman named Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet)
passes by, cleans his mess, and offers to take him home.
***
After three months of bed rest, he returns to Hanna’s
apartment to thank her. Sexual tension brews almost immediately,
although nothing much happens until his second visit, when
she in essence orders him to take a bath. There’s no question
that he’s well aware of what’s happening to his body, seeing
as he’s standing naked in front of an older, attractive
woman; she seems to sense it too, which is why she brings
him a towel without any clothes on. ***
Thus begins a summer-long affair, one that consists
not only of lovemaking, but also of Michael reading literature
to Hanna. Why she likes him to read aloud is not yet known.
Being so infatuated, Michael doesn’t question what he’s
doing. Nor does he notice the subtler nuances of Hanna’s
existence, the way she lives such a regimented life within
the walls of her meager apartment. ***
There always seems to be something she needs to do,
whether it’s ironing or gathering coal or washing out milk
bottles. There’s an interesting scene towards the end of
their summer fling, in which Hanna washes Michael as he
stands in the bathtub; despite the fact that it ends with
them making love, there’s nothing erotic about the way she
scrubs him down. It’s a distant moment, as if she were washing
a hospital patient instead of her lover. ***
Without warning, the affair ends, leaving Michael with
no choice other than returning home. The story then flashes
forward to 1966, at which point he’s studying law in Berlin.
At around the same time, a group of women affiliated with
the S.S. during World War II are brought to trial. One of
them is Hanna. ***
This represents a narrative shift, but in no way does
it affect the overall theme; at this point in the story,
Michael has transitioned from an innocent, fresh-faced young
man to a chain-smoking, slightly unkempt college student.
There’s the sense that reality hasn’t been treating him
well. The same can be said for Hanna, who faces an unsympathetic
judge, a group of women who go by the Judas philosophy,
and a courtroom full of angry Nazi haters. When the judge
interrogates Hanna about an event that resulted in numerous
deaths, she seems genuinely baffled, as if to suggest that
following orders is more important than following your conscious.
***
Interestingly, Michael finds himself in a very similar
situation. He knows something about Hanna, something that,
if revealed in court, could affect the verdict. The thing
is, she’s too ashamed to reveal it herself, leaving Michael
in an awkward position: Should he obey the rules of law,
or should he respect Hanna’s wishes and keep her secret?
It’s a maddening dilemma, seeing as it’s hard to have sympathy
for a known associate of the Nazi party. Michael doesn’t
see her ugly past; he only sees the beautiful but solemn
woman who physically and emotionally helped him transition
into manhood. ***
During the sections of the story that take place between
the 1970s and ‘90s, we see an adult Michael (Ralph Fiennes)
who can’t seem to let anyone get close to him. Given his
former relationship with Hanna, it comes as no surprise
that his attempt at marriage was unsuccessful. It also comes
as no surprise that he’s having trouble bonding with his
grown daughter. As was the case earlier in his life, Michael
must make the choice to change what he has the power to
change. If he doesn’t, there’s a sense that he’ll be doomed
to a lifetime of regret. ***
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