The Book Thief (2013)

Here comes the waterworks . . . The Book Thief, based on Markus Zusak's award-winning Young Adult book hits the silver screen, with this wonderfully touching Oscar-nominated film making even the strongest spectator break down into tears of both awe and sadness. Brian Percival didn't disappoint with this adaptation of a hauntingly beautiful story of the power of books and words.

The Book Thief is my absolute favourite book in the history of ever, so it could be guessed that I was extremely excited for this film. However, I felt like the film wouldn't be able to do justice to it. As an absolute book-lover, film adaptations of books make me nervous. After the disastrous way some events were portrayed in The Hunger Games adaptation, I had a fishy feeling like this would make me shake my head in utter disappointment.

Narrated by Death, it is 1939, Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath, and Death (Roger Allam) has never been busier. When a young girl (Sophie Nelisse) is on a train with her mother and brother, on the way to foster home near Munich, her brother dies in a spurt of coughing. The train stops to bury the boy in the middle of nowhere, the girl finds a book. It had the words ‘The Gravedigger's Handbook’ engraved to the front, but the girl couldn't read.

At her foster parents home, she meets her seemingly harsh and foul-mouthed foster mother (Emily Watson), with her gentle and loving foster father (Geoffrey Rush) teaches her how to read, and so begins her love affair with books. Soon she is stealing books from anywhere she can find, from Nazi book burnings to the Mayor’s wife’s (Barbara Auer) library, and makes friends with one of the most wanted people in Germany. She is Liesel Meminger, she is the Book Thief.

As to whether this film did justice to the book, no film can completely master a book's intricate descriptions and countless plot-lines, with The Book Thief as no exception. Overall, it was satisfactory for a TBT fan, as a few slightly important events were missed out, but it is understandable, seeing as the film itself ended up being over two hours long, with just adding the most important events.

The Book Thief is a book very close to my heart, because it is the book that made me realise my ambition: to be a writer. Therefore, the way the book was visually set out was very important. I am happy to say that I was pleased overall with the way the film turned out.

I understand that my continuous use of ‘I’ seems conceited, but I’m only using it to show how important a favourite book can be.

This film was amazing. Not as amazing as the book, of course, but still amazing. Just as touching and saddening as The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, this beautiful film is for any lovers of historical fiction, with a hint of romance.

I shall end with one last note: I am haunted by humans.