The Reader (1988 film)

The Reader French La Lectrice is a 1988 French film directed by Michel Deville. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 61st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Marie embarks on her new profession with gusto. As she reads to her clients, all of whom are seeking a little more than the solace of literature, she works a fantastical transformation on them. Her clients include the widow of a Marxist general Mara Casares, a nervous businessman Patrick Chesnais, a retired magistrate, and a handicapped teenage boy. Soon the clients friends and families become involved, as does her professor Christian Blanc. The generals widows maidservant and the boys friends from school become affected by the readings, and Constance has an affair with the businessman. Books read include The Lover by Marguerite Duras, read to the sexually frustrated businessman, and the works of Marquis de Sade read to the judge and his libertine friends.Deville explores themes that not only consider literature, but the cinema too. This playfully selfreflexive tone is reinforced in the Chinese boxeslike structure of the narrative. There are multiple layers of story, and actors play multiple parts. ........

Source: Wikipedia