The Reader combines a problematic love story with reflections on Germany’s responsibility after World War II, offering an intricate and affecting narrative supported by strong acting and careful filmmaking. Even though there are moments where the plot doesn't quite add up, the movie manages to depict individual and collective difficulties via the characters’ painful experiences and concealed truths. It makes for a ca…

I would not have watched this movie to the end if I hadn’t been with other people. The decision to have the characters speak English completely broke the illusion for me. This is a terrible British adaptation of an acclaimed German novel. It seems like only someone familiar with the perspective of younger generations of Germans, those who came after the Holocaust, should have directed it. My two stars are given to Wi…

David Kross delivers a compelling performance in this narrative centered on a young boy ("Michael") who finds shelter from a rainstorm at Hanna's ("Kate Winslet") doorway. It isn’t long before the fifteen-year-old becomes her lover, and she reciprocates by reading to him. He quickly develops an intense attachment, only to be heartbroken when he discovers she has disappeared upon visiting her apartment. The story then…