Michael (Kross) and Hanna (Winslet) cross paths when she is 30 and he is 15. Their chance encounter leads to a passionate affair between the two, until Hanna disappears without warning. Michael moves on with his life, to law school, eventually leading him to a Nazi war crimes trial ((ndash)) where he once again encounters Hanna and discovers her dark past. Michael is now forced to make the biggest decision of his life.

Brave performances by both Winslet and Kross are the best reason to see this film, both needed to bare their souls (along with their bodies, the amount of nudity in the film has drawn some criticism given the subject matter). The depth of Kross's portrayal is particularly impressive given he had only just turned 18 at the time of filming. Fiennes performs well but is ultimately unnecessary in his role as the older Michael telling the story in flashback.

In the end this is a character piece featuring two extremely well drawn and complex human beings. It would have been easy to paint Hanna as an evil figure who needed to be punished and Michael as the innocent victim dragged into the maelstrom of her life. But the viewer is instead challenged as they come to know and understand these two lives, adding many shades of grey to the moral dilemmas presented.

Adapted from the novel by Bernhard Schlink, The Reader is an at times uncomfortable exploration of moral ambiguity - but definitely worth a watch.