cumberbatchv

After reading The Book Thief, I found this telling of the story to be quite accurate and seamless. Although it's categorized as "young adult," the story transcends the ages and is made for all viewers. I found the cast to be perfect; young Liesel and Rudy were wonderful to watch together on screen as their friendship only became closer with every scene, but not in a way that would make moms-of-daughters cringe. The German accents in an English language movie were very realistic to the point I had to look and see if the actress playing Liesel was German!

Clearly, a film about Hitler's Germany, it is sad and dark. This isn't a deep thinking, philosophical, difficult-to-perceive film. It is an accurate telling of several years in the life of young Liesel, her foster family, and her Molching community during the rise of Hitler (food rations, air raid shelters, fear, starvation, Jewish parades, book burning, etc). It's an excellent film for both educational and leisure purposes, but I find it quite appropriate for the young viewer. To understand history through a different, more relatable perspective.