‘The Reader’ – Nazi can’t turn the page

The Oscar-primed drama “The Reader” arrives in theaters begging for criticism – or worse.

The film tells the story of a former Nazi guard (Kate Winslet) who has a brief but torrid affair with a student (David Kross). If some critics couldn’t swallow the Holocaust drama “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” how will they react to this tale of redemption and sexual cruelty in post World War II Germany?

Director Stephen Daldry (“The Hours”) keeps the tone respectable, the emotions just below the boiling point in walking the delicate line between drama and decency.

Young Michael Berg (David Kross) couldn’t be more excited about his first sexual relationship. The lover in question is Hanna Schmitz (Winslet), an attractive, 30-something woman eager to exploit his adolescent hormones. She doesn’t mind that he’s still in school, and he’s too eager to give the inappropriateness of their actions a second thought.

They don’t talk much, and several romantic encounters go by before they learn each others’ names. The closest they come to intimacy is when Michael reads to Hanna.

Their relationship ends as quickly as it began, although we’re not privy to the split. The story jumps ahead a few years, and an older Michael is in law school studying the latest Nazi trials. He’s shocked to see his old love on the witness stand, being accused of innumerable crimes during the Nazi regime.

“The Reader” is framed by the adult Michael (played by Ralph Fiennes) looking back on his first romance and its bitter consequences. It’s a tired device of late, but one which works seamlessly here. It’s also crucial for understanding the toll the illicit romance left on Michael’s soul.

Winslet, who turns in her first artificial performance in “Revolutionary Road,” is back in form here, giving Hanna a sadness that haunts every frame. She’s a complicated monster, and her character’s arc invites the most scrutiny of any element in the film.

Bring it on, Winslet demands.

“The Reader” feels dramatically winded as it enters the final half hour, but that’s when the story’s finest moments come to life.