THE READER
THE READER
West Germany, 1958. Thirteen years have passed since the end of the Second World War – long enough for everyday life to have moved on, yet little enough time for the past to remain painfully close. A chance encounter brings fifteen-year-old Michael Berg (David Kross), still very much a boy, into the life of Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet, who won an Academy Award for the role), a tram conductor more than twice his age.
She comes to his aid when he falls ill. Some time later, having recovered, Michael returns to thank her for her kindness. Unexpectedly, the two begin a passionate affair.
Before long, something resembling love develops between them, and their secret meetings settle into a ritual: Michael reads aloud to Hanna, after which they have sex. Then, one day, Hanna disappears without a trace. Years later, Michael comes across her again by chance, this time as a law student. His former lover is now standing trial alongside other women accused of crimes committed at a Nazi concentration camp.
Based on Bernhard Schlink’s 1995 novel, Stephen Daldry’s THE READER (2008) received widespread awards recognition. The film blends a coming-of-age story, centred on sexual awakening and youthful infatuation, with a broader exploration of guilt and responsibility.
The intimate and deeply personal are set against the collective memory of the Holocaust, and the collision between the two gives rise to deeply uncomfortable questions about the limits of empathy and the ethics of representing perpetrators.
Text: Rafał Glapiak
.png)
.png)
