Movie Review Madness: The Book Thief

Read The Book Thief first. It's a great book. Or see the film The Book Thief - it is worthy of the book. The setting is a small town in Nazi Germany. The story is narrated by Death, who discusses how he doesn't mean to hasten the inevitable. Man seems to do the job for him.

A couple agrees to "adopt" a young girl and raise her as their own since the mother had "issues". Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson are perfect as the parents. He's a softie, and she's tough as nails with a heart of gold. The girl, Liesel, learns to read and is obsessed with books. She grows and learns a lot when the family takes in Max, a Jew.

Air raids abound. The father is conscripted for the army despite his age. So many boys leave and don't come back. The father and mother don't subscribe to the Nazi way, but they also fight to survive and not cause trouble. The Book Thief is a touching film about human spirit, love, family, and survival. Take a tissue because you'll sniffle at the end.