Holocaust movie = Oscar

Forgive my humor but I like many was a fan of Ricky Gervais's show Extras and I recall the first season featuring Kate Winslet desperately wanting an Oscar and staring in a Holocaust movie to try to get the attention of the Academy. And later this year after she starred in a real one, the subject of this review, at the Golden Globe awards Ricky reminded me and I'm sure several other millions of fans so I couldn't resist the temptation.

The Reader is another film set in WWII Germany. It seems like there have been as many WWII movies as there have been video games that cover the time period. Ralph Fiennes and David Kross play the character of Michael Berg at different ages. As a boy of 15 Michael has an affair with an older woman, Hanna, played by Kate Winslet. He falls in love with her over one summer but like all affairs of this nature it's over all too soon. Hanna suddenly leaves without a trace and heartbroken Michael moves on. She appears later in his life in his college years and the position she is in is a heart wrenching one for him. He truly does hold her future in his hands. Ray Fiennes carries the last arch of the story in the aftermath of his decision.

The movie is mainly about weighty decisions and guilt and fear. In the beginning Hanna has all the power. It transfers between the two throughout the picture. Kate Winslet is splendid in this movie. She wears everything the character is going through on her face. You see her struggling, and thinking, and feeling. The rest of the movie does not have the same power as her performance though. It is a little slow in the beginning. Ralph Fiennes doesn't quite keep up the pace the middle act had after much build up. In the end there is one spectacular performance and two great moments. I recommend seeing it. B+/8.0/79.