Film Review: The Book Thief
Film: The Book Thief (2013). Young Actress: Sophie Nelisse, age 13.
This film begins as two young German children, Liesel (Sophie) and her little brother, are taken from their parents and sent across the country to live with an older childless couple (Geoffrey Rush & Emily Watson). Liesel doesn't exactly understand why this happens; it's actually because her parents are Communists who've been imprisoned by the rising Nazi party. Her little brother falls ill and dies on the trip, which is when Liesel first encounters the film's narrator, Death. (She is one of the few people to “catch” him at his job.) Although this is an interesting concept, Death's narration isn't handled too well, and the way it comes and goes weakens the film.
The film has gorgeous visuals, but it sometimes seems more concerned with looking pretty than with good storytelling.
Liesel sings in the Hitler Youth choir at her new school, but otherwise, she doesn't pay much attention to the war. She's too busy adjusting to her new home, mourning her little brother, bonding with her foster parents, and learning how to read. She's eager to read more than just her schoolbooks, and the Nazis only get her attention when they start burning up all the books in town. She begins stealing books from a wealthy neighbor, which is when Death nicknames her “The Book Thief.” Over the next few years, Liesel's foster parents risk their lives by hiding a Jewish friend, and when Germany begins losing the war, she copes with meager meals, bombings, and her foster dad and best friend Rudy getting drafted. Through it all, she finds an escape in reading books and writing stories of her own. The power of the written word to bring hope and healing is the central theme of the film. Although the film is sometimes too over-the-top in juxtaposing Liesel's innocence against the Nazis' evil, for the most part, it handles the subject well enough.
Although Sophie, who's French Canadian in real life, doesn't do a great German accent as Liesel, I hope that the accent doesn't distract anyone from a very solid lead performance. Even when the film drags, and it certainly does in some scenes (clocking in at over two hours), Sophie makes it worth watching. I was especially struck by her expressive face and body language in the beginning of the film, when Liesel is mute after seeing Death take her brother. Sophie certainly deserved the Critics Choice Best Young Actor/Actress nomination that she earned for this film, and her real-life little sister Isabelle (Mama) is also a young actress worth checking out.
Other reviews of Sophie's films: The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015).
Sophie at a screening of The Book Thief, with a replica of the chalkboard that Liesel used to learn how to write.
This film begins as two young German children, Liesel (Sophie) and her little brother, are taken from their parents and sent across the country to live with an older childless couple (Geoffrey Rush & Emily Watson). Liesel doesn't exactly understand why this happens; it's actually because her parents are Communists who've been imprisoned by the rising Nazi party. Her little brother falls ill and dies on the trip, which is when Liesel first encounters the film's narrator, Death. (She is one of the few people to “catch” him at his job.) Although this is an interesting concept, Death's narration isn't handled too well, and the way it comes and goes weakens the film.
The film has gorgeous visuals, but it sometimes seems more concerned with looking pretty than with good storytelling.
Liesel sings in the Hitler Youth choir at her new school, but otherwise, she doesn't pay much attention to the war. She's too busy adjusting to her new home, mourning her little brother, bonding with her foster parents, and learning how to read. She's eager to read more than just her schoolbooks, and the Nazis only get her attention when they start burning up all the books in town. She begins stealing books from a wealthy neighbor, which is when Death nicknames her “The Book Thief.” Over the next few years, Liesel's foster parents risk their lives by hiding a Jewish friend, and when Germany begins losing the war, she copes with meager meals, bombings, and her foster dad and best friend Rudy getting drafted. Through it all, she finds an escape in reading books and writing stories of her own. The power of the written word to bring hope and healing is the central theme of the film. Although the film is sometimes too over-the-top in juxtaposing Liesel's innocence against the Nazis' evil, for the most part, it handles the subject well enough.
Although Sophie, who's French Canadian in real life, doesn't do a great German accent as Liesel, I hope that the accent doesn't distract anyone from a very solid lead performance. Even when the film drags, and it certainly does in some scenes (clocking in at over two hours), Sophie makes it worth watching. I was especially struck by her expressive face and body language in the beginning of the film, when Liesel is mute after seeing Death take her brother. Sophie certainly deserved the Critics Choice Best Young Actor/Actress nomination that she earned for this film, and her real-life little sister Isabelle (Mama) is also a young actress worth checking out.
Other reviews of Sophie's films: The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015).
Sophie at a screening of The Book Thief, with a replica of the chalkboard that Liesel used to learn how to write.