The Reader
“Behind the mystery lies a truth that will make you question everything you know.”
Director
Stephen Daldry
Screenplay
David Hare
Ralph Fiennes plays Michael Berg, a German lawyer haunted by memories of a passionate affair he had as a teenager with an older woman, played by Kate Winslet, who vanished without explanation only to resurface years later as a defendant in a war crimes trial tied to her actions as a former concentration camp guard. Director Stephen Daldry, adapting Bernhard Schlink's novel, builds a morally complex meditation on shame, complicity, and the corrosive power of shame, hinging on Michael's realization that Hanna's illiteracy — not innocence — may be driving her courtroom silence. Winslet's performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film's unflinching handling of postwar German guilt sparked extensive critical debate over its moral framing.
Release
Dec 10, 2008
Budget
$32M
Country
United States of America
Revenue
$109M
Cast
Ralph Fiennes
Michael Berg
Kate Winslet
Hanna Schmitz
David Kross
Young Michael Berg
Lena Olin
Rose Mather
Bruno Ganz
Professor Rohl
Jeanette Hain
Brigitte
Hannah Herzsprung
Julia
Karoline Herfurth
Marthe
Volker Bruch
Dieter Spenz
Alexandra Maria Lara
Young Ilana Mather
Fabian Busch
Hanna's Defense Council
Vijessna Ferkic
Sophie
Susanne Lothar
Carla Berg
Matthias Habich
Peter Berg
Sylvester Groth
Prosecuting Council
Jürgen Tarrach
Gerhard Bade
Florian Bartholomäi
Thomas Berg
Moritz Grove
Holger
Margarita Broich
Co-Defendant
Marie Gruber
Co-Defendant
Martin Brambach
Remand Prison Guard #1
Carmen-Maja Antoni
Prison Librarian
Heike Hanold-Lynch
Prison Guard
Linda Bassett
Ms. Brenner
Ludwig Blochberger
Student
Reviews
TMDB
7.5/10
★★★★★★★★★★
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Trailer
Official trailer
The Reader
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From the same director: Stephen Daldry
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