As a 15-year-old boy, Michael falls ill and is helped by Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet), a woman in her 30s. They begin a passionate, secret affair where Michael spends much of their time reading literary classics aloud to her .
The 2008 film (directed by Stephen Daldry) is a provocative Academy Award-winning drama that explores themes of love, hidden shame, and the heavy burden of German history after World War II. Story Summary As a 15-year-old boy, Michael falls ill and
Hanna disappears without explanation. Eight years later, Michael, now a law student, is shocked to find her among the defendants in a war crimes trial for her actions as a Nazi concentration camp guard . Story Summary Hanna disappears without explanation
The narrative unfolds across several decades in post-war Germany, following the life of Michael Berg: now a law student