The Reader

2008 • 124 minutes
4.3
327 reviews
63%
Tomatometer
R
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Academy Awards' winner Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road) delivers a dynamic performance in this "tale of eroticism, secrecy and guilt" (Claudia Puig, USA Today) set in turbulent post-Nazi Germany. Bringing to life the celebrated international novel, Winslet is riveting as Hanna Schmitz, a lonely, working-class woman who experiences a brief but intense affair with a teenage boy. Years later they meet again: Hanna now a defendant in a notorious case and her ex-lover, now a law student, holding the secret to her salvation. Directed by three-time Academy Awards' nominee Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours) and featuring Ralph Fiennes (The Duchess) as the grown man still reeling from Hanna's influence, The Reader is a "moving, romantic and poignant story, (Roger Friedman, Fox News) about the difficult distance between truth and reconciliation
Rating
R

Ratings and reviews

4.3
327 reviews
Mandy Rhae
July 6, 2014
At first I didn't think I would like this movie, but I immediately fell in love with it. David Cross plays such a strong, intriguing character, and Kate Winslet makes Hana a true conflicted character about whom you don't know how to feel. Their acting was phenomenal and the storyline was wonderfully written. It's not just another Holocaust movie; it's a movie about growing up, falling in love, swallowing your pride, and facing your past.
7 people found this review helpful
Sexy Kitten1982
September 7, 2016
Wow, Very touching & emotional! When I realized she couldn't write so it couldn't have been her, I would have been the kid to jump up & say something in the Courtroom! He should have gone to her! I think he wanted absolution for himself in the end because he held onto that secret so long! Really makes you feel sorry for Hannah! I wonder if this was based on a true story! All the actors were Amazing! I knew Kate Winslet would be but wow! They all were superb & it really makes you see the truths hidden!
8 people found this review helpful
Cyndi Stefani
March 28, 2016
Loved the connection despite the age, hated the endingi like happy endings