Behind the mystery lies a truth that will make you question everything you know.|Jan. 02, 2008|Germany|124 Min.|R
Genre: Drama;Romance
Description: In Berlin, 1995, Michael Berg watches a U-Bahn pass by, triggering a flashback to 1958. As a 15-year-old, Michael falls ill on the street and is helped by Hanna Schmitz, a tram conductor. After recovering from scarlet fever, Michael visits Hanna to thank her. The 36-year-old Hanna seduces him, and they begin an affair, spending much of their time together with Michael reading to her. After a bicycling trip, Hanna is promoted to a clerical job and suddenly disappears without a trace.
In 1966, Michael, now a law student at Heidelberg University, attends a trial similar to the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials. Several women, including Hanna, are accused of allowing 300 Jewish women to die in a burning church during a death march. Michael is shocked to see Hanna as one of the defendants. Key evidence comes from Ilana Mather, a survivor who describes how Hanna had prisoners read to her. Hanna admits to selecting women for the gas chambers during her time as an SS guard.
Cast director: Stephen Daldry
Cast actor: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Lena Olin, Bruno Ganz, Jeanette Hain, Hannah Herzsprung, Karoline Herfurth, Volker Bruch, Alexandra Maria Lara
Original name: The Reader