The Book Thief Review: The ugliness and Beauty of Humans

“A DEFINITION NOT FOUND

IN THE DICTIONARY
Not leaving: an act of trust and love,
often deciphered by children.” –Death

“The consequence of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both.” –Death

“I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do I even simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant...I AM HAUNTED BY HUMANS.” –Death

Powerfully narrated by Death, the Book Thief movie (based on the bestselling novel of the same title), is a heartfelt testament of the strength and courage of the human spirit and the power and beauty of the written words in the foreground of the horrors of the World War II.

The Book Thief tells the story of young Liesel  Meminger who was set to live with new parents after her communist mother and brother died. On the funeral of her beloved, she found a book and kept it. Though she does not know how to read and write yet, she has fallen in love with the written words instantly. Her new papa, Hans, becomes her new teacher. They both enjoyed reading, writing, and the eloquence both skills gave them. Liesel’s beautiful love affair with the written words—despite the war, burning of books, raids, famine, and death—has proven her audacity. She has learned to steal (or “borrow” as she would put it) books.

“You can’t eat books, sweetheart,” says Rudy Steiner, her childhood best friend, but no one and nothing can stop the Book Thief.   

Each character portrayed a strong rendition through a vividly explained context (Nazi Germany). The movie was melancholic, preaching without imposing, riveting. Like the many WWII-themed books and movies (Bernard Schlink’ The Reader, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Pianists, and The Schindler’s List), the Book Thief is a story you won’t soon forget. But perhaps what makes the movie exceptional is it anchors on the children. The children—playful, ambitious, innocent—are its main characters and target audience.

I haven’t read Markus Zusak’s original bestselling novel yet but I heard it was beautifully written, the prose sings. The imagery, clear.

I love movies/novels set in World War because it relieves our painful history, the errors of mankind, which teaches us not to repeat history.

rating: 5/5