Film Review: THE BOOK THIEF

Adapted from: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Roger Allam

Release date: October 3, 2013

DISCLAIMER: I have not yet read this book. But my mom just finished reading it and requested that we watch the movie. So I cannot compare the movie to the book. Yet. What I can do, is simply share a few of my thoughts on the movie alone. 

The Book Thief tells the story of a young girl, Liesl, who is adopted by a German couple during World War II. This being a WWII story, I immediately knew that it would be an emotional watch. 

I fell in love with the characters. Liesl is a tenacious little girl, terrified by the war and the unknown, and still brave in the face of every bad thing happening around her. Her developing relationships are really at the center of the book and her journey. Her new father is a kind, warm man who teaches her how to read, and her new mother is a stern, scowling woman with a hidden soft spot. Seeing how her relationships with both parents grow is one of the great joys in the story. 

Her relationship with Max is also engaging, and the snowball fight made me laugh with so much joy in the middle of so much heartbreak. 

It is hard for me to discuss this movie without too many spoilers, so I will simply say this. This is one of the rare instances in which I may be glad that I watched the movie before I read the book, because I'm positive I enjoyed this movie much more than my mom did. Since she had just finished the book, she couldn't help but compare every part to what she had just read, and I think it diminished the experience for her, if only a little bit. 

I, on the other hand, had very few real expectations for the movie other than to be entertained and to be pulled emotionally. And I was both. The end of the movie had me sobbing, both in sadness and in joy. It was definitely a rollercoaster, but I can't definitely say that this is one movie that will stick with me for years. And it has only made me that much more excited for when I finally get around to reading the book. 

Tell me: have YOU seen OR read The Book Thief? What did you think about either the movie or the book, or both? Let me know in the comments below!