The Reader
“Behind the mystery lies a truth that will make you question everything you know.”
The story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, had an affair with an older woman, Hanna, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. He alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that fact at the expense of her freedom.
Where to watch
BritBox
Stream
Lionsgate+
Stream
The CW
Free with ads
Kanopy
Free
Hoopla
Free
Fawesome
Free
Your rating
Your review
Cast
28 people
Ralph Fiennes
Michael Berg
Known for
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Schindler's List
Kate Winslet
Hanna Schmitz
Known for
Titanic
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
David Kross
Young Michael Berg
Known for
Prey
Rising High
Lena Olin
Rose Mather
Known for
Hunters
Nine Perfect Strangers
Bruno Ganz
Professor Rohl
Known for
Downfall
The House That Jack Built
Jeanette Hain
Brigitte
Known for
Babylon Berlin
Head Full of Honey
Hannah Herzsprung
Julia
Known for
Babylon Berlin
Who Am I
Karoline Herfurth
Marthe
Known for
Suck Me Shakespeer
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Volker Bruch
Dieter Spenz
Known for
Generation War
Babylon Berlin
Alexandra Maria Lara
Young Ilana Mather
Known for
Downfall
Rush
Fabian Busch
Hanna's Defense Council
Known for
Look Who's Back
23
Vijessna Ferkic
Sophie
Also in
Victor and the Secret of Crocodile Mansion
Dreileben: Beats Being Dead
Stephen Daldry Director · David Hare Screenplay Bernhard Schlink Author
Worldwide gross $109M · Budget $32M · United States release December 10, 2008
Box office
Budget
$32,000,000
Worldwide gross
$108,902,486
Gross vs. budget
3.4×
Production
The Weinstein Company
Production · Studio
Mirage Enterprises
Production
Studio Babelsberg
Production
Deutsche Filmförderfonds (DFFF)
Production
FFA
Production
Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Production
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
Production
Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM)
Production
Germany · United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English · German · Greek · Latin
Release dates
Canada · December 10, 2008
Limited theatrical
United States · December 10, 2008
Limited theatrical · New York City, New York
United States
January 30, 2009 · Theatrical
Australia
February 19, 2009 · Theatrical
Brazil
February 6, 2009 · Theatrical
Czechia
April 23, 2009 · Theatrical
France
July 15, 2009 · Theatrical
Germany
February 6, 2009 · Premiere · Berlin International Film Festival
February 26, 2009 · Theatrical
Greece
January 8, 2009 · Theatrical
Hong Kong SAR China
March 19, 2009 · Theatrical
Hungary
April 23, 2009 · Theatrical
September 8, 2009 · Physical · DVD
Ireland
January 2, 2009 · Theatrical
Italy
February 20, 2009 · Theatrical
Japan
June 19, 2009 · Digital
Malaysia
March 5, 2009 · Theatrical
Mexico
April 3, 2009 · Theatrical
Poland
March 13, 2009 · Theatrical
Portugal
February 12, 2009 · Theatrical
Romania
March 20, 2009 · Digital
Singapore
January 22, 2009 · Theatrical
Slovenia
March 12, 2009 · Theatrical
South Korea
March 26, 2009 · Theatrical
Spain
February 13, 2009 · Theatrical
Sweden
April 24, 2009 · Theatrical
Türkiye
April 10, 2009 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
January 2, 2009 · Theatrical
More from Stephen Daldry
Other films they directed, best known first.
If you liked The Reader
Picks that share its genres, themes, cast and crew.
Some details come from TheTVDB.