Waking up this morning to the hysterical, almost incomprehensible Kate Winslet accepting a second Golden Globe award made a refreshing change to the current steady, daily diet of economic gloom and doom. (Frankly, even the consular secretary from the US Embassy explaining changes to the Visa Waiver Program was a breath of fresh air).
By all accounts, the award that caused the emotion was for the forthcoming (in the UK at least) Revolutionary Road and not The Reader, for which Winslet had already collected a Best Supporting Actress gong.
This latter was well-deserved, if somewhat baffling. Although Winslet was absent from the screen for large parts of The Reader, her captivating, intelligent performance was the lynchpin of a tremendously good film.
Rarely can I recall seeing a single film dealing successfully with quite so many themes: rites-of-passage sexual awakening; the burden and shame of illiteracy; the Holocaust and German guilt; the inadequacy of law and the fragility of moral guidance; loss, family and redemption.
David Kross was excellent as the young Michael Berg, and the film provided a reminder of just what a good actor Ralph Fiennes is. But Winslet as the former SS camp guard Hannah Schmitz was moving and mesmerising. Bravo!