Drama based on the award-winning novel by Australian author Markus Zusak. Set in Nazi Germany, the story follows young Liesel (newcomer Sophie Nélisse) and her relationships with her foster parents (Oscar-veterans Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) and the Jewish man who hides in their home. From the BAFTA-winning director of Downton Abbey.
Many people have read the book this film was based on. I haven't, yet I still found myself lamenting its stylistic adaptation choices, despite no knowledge of the source material. It's that kind of movie. Positioned as a prestige period picture – complete with a brutal setting (Nazi Germany), a literary metaphor, a doomed friend and a kindly foster parent (Geoffrey Rush) – The Book Thief fails to come alive for any sustained amount of time.
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Where the book had a kernel of intellectual irony to it — words betray a nation — this drama goes shamelessly for the heart.
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The Book Thief crams story after story into such a small space that it can’t realize any of them in depth.
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You may come away more impressed by the intentions than by the achievements.
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