An amazing film, narrated by Death

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2019)

The Book Thief (2013) was directed by Brian Percival. It's an unusual movie in which Death is the narrator. In Death Takes a Holiday (1934) The Seventh Seal (1957), and Black Orpheus (1959) death is an on-screen character. However, in this case, we see the film from Death's point of view.
Sophie Nélisse portrays Liesel Meminger, whose mother is taken by the Nazis because she's a Communist. Liesel isn't Jewish, so she's not sent to a concentration camp. Instead, she is placed in the home of Hans and Rosa Hubermann. (Portrayed by Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson.) They aren't the happiest of couples, but they protect and care for Liesel.
Telling much more about the plot wouldn't be right for this movie. Needless to say, the world turns upside down for all of the lead characters. It's hard to act in a way that even resembles normal in this horrible, abnormal period.
The direction is excellent, and Sophie Nélisse was already a superb actor at the age of 13, when the movie was produced. (She has gone on to star in many movies since 2013.)
We watched this film on the small screen, where it worked well. The Book Thief has an excellent 7.6 rating. I think it's even better than that.