Claim: The Reader (2008 film) is a film that opened in limited release in 2008.

The Reader is a 2008 German-American romantic drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare , based on the 1995 German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink . Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet star along with the young actor David Kross . It was the last film for producers Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack , both of whom had died prior to release . Production began in Germany in September 2007 , and the film opened in limited release on December 10 , 2008 .   It tells the story of Michael Berg , a German lawyer who , as a mid-teenager in 1958 , has an affair with an older woman , Hanna Schmitz , who then disappears only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp . Michael realizes that Hanna is keeping a personal secret she believes is worse than her Nazi past -- a secret which , if revealed , could help her at the trial .   Winslet and Kross , who plays the young Michael , received acclaim for their performances ; Winslet won a number of awards for her role , including the Academy Award for Best Actress . The film itself was nominated for several other major awards , including the Academy Award for Best Picture .