THE READER is a 2008 German-American romantic drama film based

on the 1995 German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. he film !as !ritten by "avid #are and directed by Ste$hen "aldry. %al$h &iennes and 'ate (inslet star alon) !ith the yo*n) actor "avid 'ross. +t !as the last film for $rod*cers Anthony ,in)hella and Sydney -ollack. both of !hom had died before it !as released. -rod*ction be)an in Germany in Se$tember 200/. and the film o$ened in limited release on "ecember 10. 2008. +t tells the story of ,ichael Ber). a German la!yer !ho as a midteena)er in 1958 had an affair !ith an older !oman. #anna Schmit0. !ho then disa$$eared only to res*rface years later as one of the defendants in a !ar crimes trial stemmin) from her actions as a )*ard at a 1a0i concentration cam$. ,ichael reali0es that #anna is kee$in) a $ersonal secret she believes is !orse than her 1a0i $ast 2 a secret !hich. if revealed. co*ld hel$ her at the trial. (inslet and 'ross. !ho $lays the yo*n) ,ichael. received m*ch $raise for their $erformances3 (inslet !on a n*mber of a!ards for her role. incl*din) the Academy A!ard for Best Actress. he film itself !as nominated for several other ma4or a!ards. incl*din) the Academy A!ard for Best -ict*re. Berlin in 1995. ,ichael Ber) !atches an 5-Bahn $ass by. flashin) back to a tram in 1958 1e*stadt. A 15-year-old ,ichael 6"avid 'ross7 )ets off beca*se he feels sick and !anders the streets. $a*sin) in the entry!ay of a nearby a$artment b*ildin) !here he vomits. #anna Schmit0 6'ate (inslet7. a tram cond*ctor. comes in and hel$s him ret*rn home. ,ichael. dia)nosed !ith scarlet fever. rests at home for the ne8t three months. After he recovers. he visits #anna !ith flo!ers to thank her. he 9:year-old #anna sed*ces him and they be)in an affair. hey s$end m*ch of their time to)ether havin) se8 in her a$artment after she has had ,ichael read to her from literary !orks he is st*dyin). s*ch as ;milia Galotti. he <dyssey. he =ady !ith the =ittle "o). Advent*res of #*ckleberry &inn. and the he Advent*res of intin comic he Seven >rystal Balls. After a bicyclin) tri$. #anna learns she is bein) $romoted to a clerical 4ob at the tram com$any. She abr*$tly moves !itho*t tellin) ,ichael. +n 19:: ,ichael is at #eidelber) 5niversity la! school. As $art of a s$ecial seminar ta*)ht by -rofessor %ohl. a #oloca*st s*rvivor. the st*dents observe a trial 6similar to the &rankf*rt A*sch!it0 rials7 of several !omen acc*sed of lettin) 900 ?e!ish !omen die in a b*rnin) ch*rch !hen they !ere SS )*ards on the death march follo!in) the 19@@ evac*ation of a concentration cam$ near 'rako!. ,ichael is st*nned that #anna is one of the defendants. St*nned. ,ichael visits a former cam$ himself. he trial divides the st*dents. !ith one an)rily sayin) there is nothin) to be learned from it other than that evil acts occ*rred and that the older )eneration of Germans sho*ld kill themselves for failin) to sto$ them. he key evidence is the testimony of +lana ,ather. a*thor of a memoir of ho! she and her mother. !ho also testifies. s*rvived. She describes ho! #annah had !omen from the cam$ read to her in the evenin)s.

#anna. *nlike her co-defendants. admits that A*sch!it0 !as an e8termination cam$ and that the ten !omen she chose d*rin) each monthAs Selektion !ere )assed. She denies a*thorshi$ of a re$ort on the ch*rch fire. des$ite $ress*re from the other defendants. b*t then admits it rather than com$lyin) !ith a demand to $rovide a hand!ritin) sam$le. ,ichael then reali0es #annaAs secretB she is illiterate and has concealed it her !hole life. he other female )*ards !ho claim she !rote the re$ort are lyin) to $lace res$onsibility on #anna. ,ichael informs %ohl that he has information favo*rable to one of the defendants b*t is not s*re !hat to do since the defendant herself chose not to disclose the information. %ohl tells him that if he has learned nothin) from the $ast there is no $oint in havin) the seminar. ,ichael arran)es a visit to #anna in $rison. b*t once there he leaves !itho*t seein) her. #anna receives a life sentence for her admitted leadershi$ role in the ch*rch deaths !hile the other defendants are sentenced to fo*r years and three months each. ,ichael 6%al$h &iennes7 mean!hile marries. has a da*)hter. and divorces. %etrievin) his books from the time of the affair !ith #anna. he be)ins readin) them into a ta$e recorder. #e sends the cassette ta$es and a recorder to #anna. ;vent*ally. she be)ins to check the books o*t from the $rison library and teaches herself to read and !rite by follo!in) alon) !ith ,ichaelAs ta$es. She starts !ritin) back to ,ichael in brief. childlike notes. askin) him to !rite to her. ,ichael does not !rite back or visit. b*t contin*es sim$ly sendin) ta$es. and in 1988 a $rison official 6=inda Bassett7 tele$hones him to seek his hel$ !ith #annaAs transition into society after her *$comin) release. #e finds a $lace for her to live and a 4ob and finally visits #anna a !eek before her release. +n their meetin). ,ichael remains some!hat distant and confronts her abo*t !hat she has learned from her $ast. ,ichael arrives at the $rison on the date of #annaAs release !ith flo!ers. only to discover that #anna han)ed herself. She has left a tea tin !ith cash in it !ith a note askin) ,ichael to )ive the cash and money in a bank acco*nt to +lana. ,ichael travels to 1e! Cork >ity !here he meets +lana and confesses his relationshi$ !ith #anna. #e tells her abo*t the s*icide note and #annaAs illiteracy. +lana tells ,ichael there is nothin) to be learned from the cam$s and ref*ses the money. ,ichael s*))ests that she donate the money to an or)ani0ation that combats ad*lt illiteracy. $referably a ?e!ish one. She !ants him to take care of this instead. tho*)h she !ryly notes Dilliteracy isnAt m*ch of a ?e!ish $roblem.D +lana kee$s the tea tin since it is similar to one stolen from her in A*sch!it0. ,ichael drives ?*lia. his da*)hter. to #annaAs )rave and tells her their story.