I am struggling to describe my reaction to finally seeing this film last night. At this exact moment I was in a movie theater about an hour or so into the film version of The Book Thief. I originally wanted to see this with my mother but we ended up running out of time when Scott and I were there for Thanksgiving. This film has gotten some negative reviews from critics. Many cite it as being somewhat cheesy with beautiful imagery but a lack of depth. I disagree. I find this film incredibly enchanting and charming. It is funny without being overly so. It's a subtle sort of humor that keeps viewers engaged but it's just enough to offset the darkness of the situation. Liesel Meminger is a young girl who steals books. Her mother was a communist who gave her up to keep her alive. Liesel's foster parents become her whole world and in the film we can see that her "mama" who was so harsh in the book truly has a soft heart and a loving nature. What the film teaches us is the theme from the novel - words have power.
Liesel makes a friend in the neighbor boy, Rudy, despite her lack of social skills. Rudy is always there to support her, save her, and understand her in times when no one else does. Liesel's papa, Hans, teaches her how to read and creates a word wall in the basement where Liesel can keep track of words she doesn't know in her own life-sized dictionary. It is when they take in a Jew that Liesel starts to grow up. Through Max, their hidden Jew, Liesel discovers the power of words and writing. She learns how well-thought-out descriptions of the weather can change someone's life when they can't see the outside for themselves. She learns how to calm down her fellow Germans in a bomb shelter in the middle of the night through the telling of a story. And she records her own experiences to give merit to the crumbling world around her. She is afraid of losing the people the loves but she is strong enough to hold on even when all is lost. Death, our narrator, admires her.
The film has beautiful imagery. The images we see, the cinematography, is crisp and very German - particularly when we see the differences between Liesel's house and the mayor's house. When we see the snow-covered streets and then the bombed aftermath ... every image is transcendent. The young actors seem so innocent which makes their offhanded remarks so much more interesting. I love how this tells the story of Nazi Germany from a child's perspective and does so very well. This is an expose into one of the darkest moments of human history through the eyes of a child. This is similar to film such as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and even Pan's Labyrinth to a certain extent. This one goes a little bit deeper because it's a girl living a double life. She has a secret identity ... that of the book thief. If someone were to find out what she believes and who she really is her future could be extremely fatal. If she lets her secret slip she could put her entire family into danger. But as Liesel soon comes to realize Germany is not everything she had thought it was. She soon realizes the very real implications of the words of the powerful as they condemn Jews, non-Christians, and Communists ... like her mother. This is the story of a young girl who has to grow up much too fast in order to survive in a world where a word against Hitler could mean death. Her sense of humanity runs so deep inside of her that she fights against him (Hitler) and constitutes how she grows up into a woman. Children cannot just be brainwashed into believing whatever you tell them ... children have the capacity to question what they're told and have the courage and bravery to stand up to some of the most powerful systems to ever have existed. Between Rudy wanting to celebrate the power of the black Olympian, Jesse Owens to Liesel loving the Jew in her basement with all of her heart ... these children are defying the entire Third Reich just by believing in their hearts that what Hitler is doing is wrong. They must fight between their public selves and their private ones.
What sets Liesel apart in this film is that when she sees the Jews being marched through the town square for the first time she doesn't care if she's killed or beaten. She isn't afraid of death or an S.S. officer. No one scares her. She wants to know if anyone has heard of her Jewish friend and how he's doing. She doesn't care about who it exposes ... she cares about humanity.
The movie at time can be sappy. It is a tidbit too long. But ultimately it a story through a child's eyes and it is meant to make you feel something. If you ignore the sometimes cheesiness of the film it can be deeply meaningful. This story is not so much about her stealing books but it is about a young woman willing to defy all odds to gain a stronger sense of who she is. Stealing books helped her gain confidence in her intelligence and in her desire to make a difference that was probably already always there inside of her. I would say that if you enjoyed the book you will enjoy this film. Accept it for what it is ... a story of fighting "wrong" and celebrating the little things in life - like the way the sun feels and the colors of the sky - and recognizing that all people should be treated equal because having the ability to understand words gives you the power to fight evil.
