The Reader is an English movie which actually a cinema translation of a very popular novel which was was translated in to 40 languages.
The main role, a heroine, Hanna is played by famous actress Kate Winslet in a not so glamorous but a definitive, character role which brought out the best of Winslet’s facial expressions, together with powerful emotional story make you feel very sad, burdened with emotions and very painful feelings will engulf you by that time you come to end of the movie.
I shall warn you in the beginning itself that the movie contains bedroom scenes with a teenager and not at all suitable to see the movie with family. So take care. The story is about a woman, Hanna , who asks an 18 year old boy (in the story, though, he is 15 year old attending a school nearby) to read English classics to her.
That woman is a 36 year old, bus conductor, played by Kate Winslet. She had no inhibitions about sexual enjoyment with this boy; she actually seduced this boy by appearing naked, scrubbing his body in a bathroom tub and so on. She does not seem to think that it was a sin or wrong etc., The important point is that slowly she appears to think that she was actually spoiling the
Young boy and makes an exit from his life without informing the boy about her job change and/or her promotion etc., The second part of the movie is where the Hero, they boy now in college, sees her
(Winslet) in a court room.The Nazi war camp security guards were under trial for torturing and/or for death of inmates during the Hitler’s regime. The woman Hanna, played by Winslet, is now a defendant, arguing for herself, with extreme emotions, confusion, all flying on her face.
Hanna finally agrees that the letter, which decrees that inmates doors should be kept locked in the concentration camp, gates should not be opened, even while a fire accident is taking place within the camp. Hundreds of inmates (Jews) died in the fire beating at the gates whiles their bodies were burning. There is only one lone survivor a Jewish old woman, whose daughter is also sitting in the audience of the court.
There was a heated argument, about Judge questioning, the veracity of the letter.At one point the Judge asks to write the letter again, in the court , to amply prove beyond doubt, that was her writing, ( and how cruel she was ) which orders that the gates should not be opened.
All other guards were co-signatories, offcourse, but the point was that it was she who authored, the letter, (according to prosecution) which the court is considering for a punishment.She shouts in frill, shivering tone that there is no need to write it again, and accepts that it was indeed she, who scripted the letter.
That confession seals the matter.Hanna (Kate Winslet) was awarded punishment of a "life term" because she was woman and she was already past middle age.
She spends next 20 years in jail. The only one was the ‘boy”who was sending some audio tape cassettes for her which he recorded while reading the books. She listens to these tapes regularly, in prison and slowly develops an ability to read one letter by letter and then she begins to borrow books from prison library. She even learns very slowly, though an ability to write.
Finally she even writes a little letter as well, the last one.The boy had grown to be a decent, tall, healthy lawyer long back. This lawyer also developed a false prestige. He came to meet her in jail and introduces, so that Hanna could recognize him. He tells her that there was a small flat in which she can live, since the prison wanted to release her from jail and a fixed a date.
He did not bother to show any love, any attachment, and any effort of showing any affinity, for her to live with him. In fact the lawyer was bothered about his failed marriage, about estranged wife etc., He however told her that he could provide a lone accommodation for her and in a matter of fact voice tells her that he would come on her releasing day.
He leaves the prison premises.She retires to her cell in the jail and commits suicide by hanging herself.The naked realty dawns upon the audience. What for she was punished?