The Reader
7.5/10
Rating
124 min
Runtime
2008
Release Year
Stephen Daldry
Director
Cast
Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, David Kross, Lena Olin, Bruno Ganz
Quick Synopsis
The film follows Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, began a secret relationship with Hanna, an older woman. After their affair ends, Hanna suddenly disappears. Years later, Michael encounters her again when she becomes a defendant in a war crimes trial for her role as a concentration camp guard during World War II. During the trial, Michael discovers that Hanna is illiterate and suspects she is hiding this fact, which could affect the outcome of her case and her freedom.
Detailed Synopsis of The Reader
The story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, had an affair with an older woman, Hanna, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. He alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that fact at the expense of her freedom.
