Very moving and thought-provoking story

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2016)

Beginning with the narration by Death, who warns everyone that despite what one does ... no one escapes Him, and ending with the most beautiful words, this movie has everything that one needs to celebrate life amidst hardship.
This is the story of Liesel Meminger, who is, without choice, thrown into an adoptive house with a "Papa" who has a large heart and calls her "Your Majesty" and a "Mama" who seems to be tough but is full of love. And all this in the time of the beginning of the IInd World War, and in a small town in Germany.
This story is about love, about humanity, and about courage in the face of adversity. As Liesel maintains, she does not steal books; rather, she borrows them. But, it is out of this habit of reading that she changes so many lives. And eventually, her own as well.
There is death, but death with dignity. There is courage, but courage with passion. Above all, there is understated love that binds all the actors, young and old, in this period drama so well adapted from a book by Marcus Zukas, and so well enacted by the main role players. Liesel, played by Sophie Nelisse, is the most beautiful young adult I have had the pleasure of watching on the screen. The actors who play the roles of Max, Rudy, and her Papa and Mama have all played extraordinary roles in the movie.
This movie is a must-see for everyone who loves to see balanced, tempered drama and thinks, like me, that it is not how long one lives but how well they do that is important.