The Reader

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  • Opened December 10, 2008 
  • 2 hr 3 min
  • R | some scenes of sexuality and nudity

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says Iffy for 17+. More on child suitability

  • When he falls ill on his way home from school, 15 year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. The two begin an unexpected and passionate affair only for Hanna to suddenly and inexplicably disappear. Eight years later, Michael, now a young law student observing Nazi war trials, meets his former lover again, under very different circumstances. Hanna is on trial for a hideous crime, and as she refuses to defend herself, Michael gradually realizes his boyhood love may be guarding a secret she considers to be more shameful than murder. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Bruno Ganz, Matthias Habich
  • Director: Stephen Daldry
  • Genres: Drama, Romance

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Critic Reviews

100
Premiere
|

Winslet deserves an Oscar for her amazing performance. Read full review

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
| Carrie Rickey

With this film Daldry, previously the director of "Billy Elliot" and "The Hours," proves himself the screen's reigning master at showing passion thwarted or repressed. Read full review

75
Rolling Stone
| Peter Travers

Winslet's fierce, unerring portrayal goes beyond acting, becoming a provocation that will keep you up nights. Read full review

75
USA Today
| Claudia Puig

Though the effort is uneven, it's a well-acted romance that becomes a less compelling courtroom drama. Read full review

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Kate Winslet as Hanna Schmitz in "The Reader."