The Reader starts off in the German town of Neustadt circa 1958. A young boy is heading home in the pouring rain. He sloshes through the muddy streets while taking a moment here and there to decorate the pavement with vomit. A woman notices the boy is ailing and takes pity on him. She walks along with the boy to ensure the boy gets home safely. We learn that the name of the boy is Michael (David Kross) and after he recovers from his bout with scarlet fever he returns to the woman to reward her good deed with flowers.

Now, I don’t know if it was the bouquet or a subtle gas leak but the woman takes a shine to Michael. It isn’t long before the woman, Hannah (Kate Winslet), reveals herself to her young and underage buddy. And when I mean “reveal” I mean stripping down butt naked and giving the student the most hands-on sexual education course ever invented.

That’s the beginning of this dramatic tale. A forbidden love affair between a woman and a boy is tested through the decades as social rules change and buried crimes are dug up to the surface. Love is a strange creature. We’re taught to box it up in heart shaped candy boxes or crystallize it and affix it to a gold ring. But love is a chameleon and can change its appearance to suit even the most bizarre situations. The Reader shows all sorts of facets of that most fickle of emotions.

The initial relationship between Michael & Hannah shocked me a little. It wasn’t so much the age difference. I mean, in 2008 younger people hooking up with their elders ain’t all that taboo. I think it was the haste into the relationship that made me gawk. They don’t even know each other’s names at first. They just stripped and hopped into bed and made love. On the other hand, I thought it was sweet how Hannah instructed Michael in the ways of "whoopee". The way she tenderly advises Michael on how to take his time with kissing and, um, thrusting. Thanks to Hannah, Michael could go back to school a fully matured colt (sexually matured, anyway) as he trotted through the hallways amongst his pony peers.

When put into chronological context the duo truly risk a lot having an affair back in the late 50s. There’s a scene where Michael and Hannah take a bike trip to the countryside and have a bite to eat at an outdoor café. As they leave, the waitress wishes Michael and his “mother” a good day. Michael hoofs it back to Hannah’s side and gives her a quick yet passionate kiss right on the lips. Hannah glances at the waitress and it’s obvious what the other woman is thinking. “Whore”, “Craddlerobber”, “Heathen” along with every other derogatory female term is packed into that waitress’ stare.

The Reader showcases a different type of foreplay: reading. Hannah has Michael read to her. So, every assigned book issued to him at school is read aloud to his lady fair. Greek tragedies, Shakespearean dramas, and tawdry romance novels are brought to life through Michael’s orating talents. It might sound boring but it really comes across as unique and it shows that their bond is about more than physical acrobatics. Sadly, Hannah mysteriously skips town and does not leave a forwarding address. No more reading. No more boinking. No more love. Poor Michael.

Most of the mushy stuff is in the first act so those allergic to romantic films can enjoy The Reader if they're just a little patient. The "lovey dovey" will take a sharp downturn eventually. Fast forward to 1966 and college age Michael is a law student. He attends a field trip to the courthouse to observe a case. A trial is underway and the accused are a group of women that worked at a concentration camp back in World War II time. Among the Nazi criminals is (duhn duhn DUNH!!!) none other than Miss Hannah herself. Poor Michael, again. First Hannah left him and now she’s on trial for partaking in the murder of over a 100 Jewish prisoners. Will he put his neck on the line and try to save her or swallow down his feelings and let her burn?

David Kross, who plays both the teenage and college age Michael, reminds me of Michael York. Yes, after a bit of afterthought I couldn’t help but mash the actors’ images together and they seemed to meld perfectly. Ralph Fiennes takes over the role for Michael’s adult years. Through both actors the character of Michael is kinda sad to me. It’s like he has this longing for something really, really spectacular and then he finds Hannah and she lights up his world. Hannah is his safe haven, his confidante, and his best love. Then she leaves and Michael’s devastated but he seems unable to rediscover that light. Instead, he chooses to wander around in darkness. Even when a potential love returns in the form of a fellow law student he still keeps himself locked away in that cage of woe. Michael is not a bad guy but he’s not a typical romantic hero that would brave slings and arrows for his damsel, either.

I never thought I would see so much of Kate Winslet. I mean, there she was on the big screen bearing it all. All! Along with the nudity I applaud Ms. Winslet for providing yet another stellar performance in yet another harrowing romantically tinged drama. Hannah is such a complicated character. One minute she’s sexy and the next minute she’s ticked and wants to shut everyone out. Her scenes during the trial tripped me out. The judge would ask about the horrors she is accused of performing on those prisoners and she would answer as if she was just talking about a housekeeping position. To the average joe, locking a bunch of people in a burning church would be appalling but to Hannah she was just doing her duty.

I found The Reader to be a very thought provoking flick that shows the boundlessness of love limited by the realities of society and those unspeakable life errors we hope will never be uncovered. www.thereader-movie.com