One Of The Most Powerful Endings I've Ever Seen

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2014)

For most of its runtime, my general feeling was that The Book Thief was a good movie - a definitely interesting movie that looked at World War II and Nazi Germany from a different perspective. In this case, we see everything that happens mostly through the eyes and experiences of Liesl. As the movie opens, Liesl is on her way to live with adoptive parents. Her mother has been taken away as a communist, and her brother dies along the way, leaving Liesl to face an uncertain future on her own. As she cautiously bonds with her new parents (played by Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush) we see first the outbreak of anti-semitism with a brief look at the events of Krystallnacht, and then the outbreak of the war. Interspersed are some looks at everyday life in the Third Reich, including the decision of Liesl's parents to offer shelter to a Jew, and you get some idea of how the children especially were brainwashed by Nazi propaganda. Mind you, aside from a lot of looks at swastika flags, I thought Nazism was surprisingly underplayed in this; the Nazis and the state apparatus being present but generally more in the background than front and centre. All very interesting, and certainly worth watching, but no more than that. And then came ... the ending.
Well, the last few scenes really. It began with the bombing of the street Liesl lived on. Everyone she cared about, and everyone who cared for her was killed. She survived only because she had fallen asleep in her basement. It was literally heartwrenching. Then an equally heartwrenching reunion, as Max - the Jew her adoptive parents had sheltered - returns to her after the war. And then, the story of Liesl's long and finally happy life - all narrated by death itself. To that point, I wasn't taken with the decision to use death as the narrator (in keeping with the novel on which this is based.) But death is actually a very effective narrator at the end, making a lot of wise and philosophical observations about the human condition. The ending of this movie is truly superb.
Also superb was Sophie Nelisse, who played Liesl. She did a magnificent job of portraying Liesl gradually growing up and maturing. Those who did her makeup and costumes were equally superb. The changes in her appearance as the years went by were noticeable but subtle. Very realistic, in other words.
I give this an 8/10. The last 15 minutes or so is a perfect 10, though.