The Reader

"In 1950s post-war Germany, 15-year-old Michael Berg (David Kross) meets 36-year-old tram conductor Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet) by chance. The two begin an affair. After the act of love, the woman has her teenage lover read her books of world literature. However, she reveals nothing of her previous life. When Michael turns more and more to his friends of the same age, Hanna suddenly disappears. Years later, Michael, as a law student with his ethics professor (Bruno Ganz), observes a trial against former concentration camp guards. He is horrified when he discovers among them his former mysterious lover Hanna Schmitz. "

SRF

"Based on Bernhard Schlink's international bestseller, which has been translated into 40 languages since its publication in 1995, this is a moving and touching film drama."

Berlinale

"Kate Winslet lends a contradictory face to her character, not fully revealing herself to either her young lover or the audience, keeping secrets. David Kross and Ralph Fiennes as Michael cannot get away from this enigmatic woman. But they have to ask themselves: is Hanna a monster, does she embody the banality of evil?"

Dietmar Kanthak, epd Film, 01.12.2009

Contributors and additional information:

Germany/USA 2008
124 min. color. 35 mm. E/d/f
Director: Stephen Daldry
Screenplay: Based on a novel by Bernhard Schlink, David Hare
Cinematography: Roger Deakins, Chris Menges
Editing: Claire Simpson
Music: Nico Muhly
Starring: Kate Winslet, David Kross, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Karoline Herfurth


Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.