Starring: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross
Director: Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliot)
Running Time: 2 hrs 3 min
Release Date: December 10, 2008
Budget: $30 million
Critics’ Thumbs Up: 60%
“…immaculately crafted, splendidly acted…” Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian
“…sufficiently indigestible.” Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
Winslet joked she’d have to star in a Holocaust movie to get her long-awaited Oscar, and she deserved it for her powerful, yet subtle performance. Based on Bernard Schlink’s novel, Reader’s the engrossing story of a young man (Kross) whose life is forever altered by the older woman (Winslet) he had an affair with in 1958 Germany. Years later Michael encounters Hanna in a Nazi war crime trial, raising engaging questions like what happens when the person you love is capable of something so wrong and should you protect them. As the older Michael, Fiennes plays him with quiet, reflective sorrow, and the 18-year-old Kross’ performance shouldn’t be underestimated.
Available now on DVD
