How far would you go to protect a secret?
| Cast |
Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Lena Olin, Bruno Ganz |
| Director |
Stephen Daldry |
| Screenplay | David Hare, from the book by Bernhard Schlink |
| Music | Nico Muhly |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins, Chris Menges |
| Editing | Claire Simpson |
| Sound formats | Dolby Digital, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, DTS |
| Soundtrack | Available |
| Made in | 2008 |
| Produced by | Mirage Enterprises, Neunte Babelsberg Film, The Weinstein Company |
Official Site | IMDB page | ScreenIt Report
Trailer: Small | Medium | Large | Scroll down for embedded trailer
| Genre | Drama |
| Language | None |
| Nudity | Fairly frequent, no-sexual contexts, once scene shows flaccid male genitalia |
| Sex | Fairly frequent, moderate strength implication |
| Violence | None |
| Prejudice | None |
| Blasphemy | None |
| Drug abuse | Social alcohol and tobacco |
| Comments | The themes are mature and unsuitable for younger viewers. An older woman has an affair with a 16 year old boy. |
| These details are supplied by the FPB. If you have a problem with any of the above, please take it up directly with the FPB. Read the Classification Guidelines. | |
Sex / Nudity |
Violence |
Blood / Gore / Gross |
Guns / Weapons |
Profanity |
Alcohol / Drugs |
Smoking |
Disrespectful / Bad Attitude |
Imitative Behaviour |
| Frightening / Tense Scenes |
Jump Scenes |
Tense Family Scenes |
| Music (Scary/Tense) |
Music (Inappropriate) |
Topics to talk about |
| Scale (Max) | 20 |  |
What the Critics say | ||
| Cape Argus / The Star Theresa Smith  The film has its moments, but overall, it feels manipulative. | 10 |  |
| Die Burger Laetitia Pople | 15 |  |
| Cape Times Kenneth Turan | 10 | |
| iAfrica.com Rebekah Kendal The Reader leaves an imprint on your mind long after the credits have rolled, the lights have gone up and the popcorn has been cleaned off the seats. | 15 | |
| The Citizen Leon van Nierop It will be an experience that will linger in your mind. | 18 | |
| Sunday Times Barry Ronge | 15 | |
| 24.com Ivan Sadler The Reader is sometimes uncomfortable viewing, both for its frank look at the deeds and twisted politics of the Holocaust, and the close examination of dysfunctional people. As downbeat as that sounds, it manages to remain entertaining through excellent performances. | 15 | |
| Box Office John P. McCarthy Despite the controversial relationship and the incendiary nature of the historical issues raised, The Reader feels tepid and overly languid. | 10 | |
| Chicago Sunday Times Roger Ebert I believe the movie may be demonstrating a fact of human nature: Most people, most of the time, all over the world, choose to go along. We vote with the tribe. | 18 | |
| Rolling Stone Peter Travers Director Stephen Daldry and playwright David Hare, collaborators on The Hours, have done something profoundly right in bringing Bernhard Schlink's controversial German novel to the screen: They've made it personal. | 15 | |
| ScreenIt C. Fuchs Winslet's stellar performance and the interesting story make The Reader hard to put down or forget. | 13 |  |
| Metacritic.com 38 critics | 12 | |
| Rottentomatoes critics 174 critics | 13 | |
| Rottentomatoes tomatometer Tomatometer Despite Kate Winslet's superb portrayal, The Reader suggests an emotionally distant, Oscar-baiting historical drama. | 12 | |
What the People say | ||
| Internet 18502 Netizens A Great Read | 16 | |
Average .. 69% | 14 | |