The Reader is a poignant story set in Berlin , of Hanna Schmidt played by Kate Winslet.The story begins in 1950 , where a teenager 'Michael' played by David Kross is assisted by middle aged Tram Conductor , Hanna , when he fells sick in the middle of the street.
Thereafter , starts a sensual bonding between the 15 year old & the older woman which transcends into an affair to remember. Hanna was fond of Michael reading to him which included finest classics like the Odyssey, Huckleberry Finn and others.
One fine day , she gets promoted and moves out without a trace. The story moves ahead , where Michael is at a law school studying. As a part of the curriculum , the students are asked to attend a trial of several women accused of letting 300 people burn in a church when they were SS guards.
Hanna is one of the defendants!
Hanna denies authorship of the church fire report , despite pressure , but succumbs to it when asked to give a handwriting sample..
Michael catches her secret of all these years , she was a functional literate!
The film addresses a deep message of love , trials & tribulations spanning background , age , caste & creed.
The journey is heart wrenching ... The sensitivity portrayed between the middle aged woman & the kid is superlative & creates magic on screen.
Kate Winslet is exceptional and she proves it with a Oscar winning act.
Watch it for the sheer brilliant story-telling & Winslet , a great adaptation of the novel by the same name.
Rating : 4.0/5.0
