After months of not seeing many movies I have been on a movie blitz. Frost/Nixon, Marley & Me and Vallkerie were all good. I have not been disappointed. My favorite so far is The Reader, a small movie starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes.
Let me just tell you right away that the first 20-25 minutes is chocked full of nudity and sex. It is the story of a young boy, Michael, in his teens having an affair with Hannah, a woman in her 30’s. The movie is set in post World War 2. So don’t say I didn’t warn you. Still, I really liked this movie. It was one that disturbed me and had me thinking the next day.
The movie is based on a novel by Bernhard Schlink . Today I downloaded his next book The Homecoming, also based on post World War 2. Both are considered semi autobiographical.
The Reader explores themes of guilt, shame and pride. Michael, the young boy grows up and while at college he and his schoolmates discover what went on in the camps. They realize there are the war criminals, but there are also all of the people, their parents included, who stood by and let it happen.
I don’t want to ruin the movie for you but I keep thinking about how personal shame over an inability led Hannah, the main character, down a horrid path. She made bad choices, life altering choices, because her pride and her shame kept her from revealing shortcomings in her life. It was a reminder to me how one poor choice leads to another. How powerful shame can be and how it can shape our future if we do not find healing or let it be the filter for how we live our life.
