Years later, torn between remembering the great flame they shared or condemning her for her crimes, Michael is haunted by the trial and determined to sort out his feelings of guilt and love. In 1966, while attending a trial for German guard crimes against Jewish prisoners, he spies Hanna as one of the defendants, who had become involved with the SS shortly after ending their affair. One day, Hanna vanishes, leaving Michael to return to school, study law, and carry on relationships with people his own age. Before each sexual tryst, Michael reads to Hanna, starting with his school assignments – including a German play, Homer’s “Odyssey,” “Huckleberry Finn,” and “The Lady with the Little Dog” – and eventually even comic strips. Sticking with her former aura, Hanna is distant and uncompassionate, but Michael finds himself hopelessly in love (he insists on knowing her name by the third day they are together). Soon, the two begin an unlikely (and very graphic) affair that lasts the duration of the summer. Though diagnosed with scarlet fever and bedridden for three months, his recovery affords him time to seek out his secretive savior, Hanna (Kate Winslet), to thank her for her aid.
In 1958, West Germany, a mysterious woman escorts 15-year-old Michael Berg (David Kross) back to his home, after he becomes ill. This uncertainty is witnessed again with the editing, as the order of events are jumbled on the timeline, and through an unexpectedly long ending, which detracts from the impact of the more poignant interludes – such as the undying love story that overshadows the historical importance of the war crimes trial, which sets up the heartbreaking reunion at the core of the plot. It ignores the most potent revelations to focus instead on a powerful romance that was successfully sustained only during the beginning. But it still seems to lose its sure footing as it heads toward a conclusion that feels part carelessly planned and mainly lacking direction. He Reader” is off to a brilliant start with its convincing characters, superb acting, and looming tragedy. Release Date: December 12th, 2008 MPAA Rating: Rĭirector: Stephen Daldry Actors: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Jeanette Hain, Vijessna Ferkic, Bruno Ganz, Lena Olin “T Genre: Romantic Drama Running Time: 2 hrs.
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