Overview

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.

Fun facts

Awards
Won 12 awards, including the Oscar for Best Actress (2009) and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress: Motion Picture (2008)
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Nominations
24 award nominations, including the Oscar for Best Picture (2009)
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Box office
Grossed $109M worldwide, about 3.4 times its $32M budget
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Based on
Based on the novel The Reader
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Filming locations
Filmed in Germany, Cologne and Berlin
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Setting
Set in Italy
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Music
Music by Nico Muhly
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Cinematography
Cinematography by Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
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