Wednesday, 29 June 2016

THE BOOK THIEF (2013)

I said it before and I'll say it again: War is ugly at the best of times. And this is demonstrated so well again in this film. It gives us a peek at the "other side" of Hitler's WWII Germany and how it affected ordinary peace loving folks who did not necessarily supported the Fuhrer and his crazy ideas. And, as usual, it is the children that are the worse for wear.

Liesel (brilliantly portrayed by Sophie Nelisse) is adopted by an elderly couple, the Hubermanns (equally as brilliantly done by veterans Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) after her own mother could no longer care for her. Initially it seems as if the War is a thousand miles away and has no direct impact on their way of living. But then, when they take in a young Jewish fugitive and hide him from Nazi authorities, everything change...

Despite the relatively low age restriction and the fact that the story is largely about children, this is definitely not a movie for children. In fact, some of the more violent scenes might even upset sensitive adults. But this does not distract from any of the brilliance of this small masterpiece. If anything, that is what makes it authentic and credible.

I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

Trailer link:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dRuGwS1gWU

 A collage of scenes from the movie

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