The Reader Movie as Complexity

I watched the movie The Reader last night, and was surprisingly pleased with it. The “secret” (as if there were only one) it addresses is one that unfortunately lingers even today in many situations and experiences. Set within post-World War II Germany and the present, it was stronger and more touching than I imagined. One thing is certain, the movie is more complex than the brief description provided by Netflix; not in its online complexity, but rather with the ethical, moral, and legal issues that it raises without becoming preachy, self-righteous, or adequate in its confronting the main character’s bildungsroman.

the reader

As a viewer, I have a lingering sense that, yet again, life if more complex than we ordinarily like to compartmentalize it.