World War II and everything is quickly changing for Liesel as she is taken to live with adoptive parents after her mother left her.
This film has a good story to it and moves at a good pace. Liesel’s stepmother is rude and does not seem to show much emotion for her at all. Her stepfather is totally different and a very kind-hearted man and grows a good friendship with her, helping her to learn how to read and write. She becomes best friends with neighbor Rudy and they share some lovely scenes together.
In the house they are hiding a Jewish man named Max, Liesel forms a very good friendship with Max and ends up stealing (borrowing) books to read to him when he gets sick. She must keep this a secret from everyone and it does produce some very heartwarming moments. In a time of great suffering and being terrified of the war going on she must deal with the thought of losing everyone around her.
Liesel is a tough girl and really can stand up for herself. Her friendship with Rudy is a highlight in the film, as really helps show how innocent children were still while the war was going on and how all they wanted to do was have fun. This is shown with the football being played, as well as the random little adventures they go on.
Sophie Nelisse and Nico Liersch put in fantastic performances and really have bright futures ahead of them in the acting world. They really are engaging and you care about the characters a lot. The friendship feels real and they are so innocent from the start, which is something that you cannot help but love about this film.
Geoffrey Rush as always put in a brilliant performance as well, his character was very likeable and if you had to have a stepfather you would want them to be like he was. He helped Liesel in so many different ways and this was so reassuring to see. As with any World War II film it doesn’t have the happiest of endings, which in all honesty I didn’t see coming. I wasn’t really sure how it was all going to end, but the final scenes really hit home and broke my heart a little bit. Obviously not going to say exactly what happened but if you have seen this film or decide to watch it I am sure you will understand what I mean.
This film just started on Sky Movies in the UK and I really would recommend watching this one. I missed it at the cinema and remember being disappointed by that. It is a good watch and makes you think about WWII, I have always had a big interest in that war since learning about it in Primary School when I was a kid. It is something I still like watching on film now. This one does show things from a slightly different perspective which I think is one of the main reasons I really enjoyed it.
