A beautifully emotional experience perfectly told.

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2014)

This is a wonderful story with an emotional roller-coaster ride from start to finish. All cast members perform to an exceptional standard, especially young Sophie Nélisse in the lead, ably supported by established actors Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson. The harsh realities of war from the perspective of normal citizens trying to live day by day in extremely stressful circumstances is portrayed with such heart-felt emotions of distress and anger combined with laughter and joy in very tough times. This is an unpredictable film and viewers should be prepared for the unexpected, for positive and negative outcomes. The book thief is a simple tale of extraordinary people brought together under exceptional conditions, experiencing the atrocities of civilian life during World War 2 in Germany. After seeing this film, it is difficult not to be affected by the lives enacted in this story, from the innocent young trying to understand it all; to the elderly that have the same issues in trying to comprehend what is happening to their lives. I strongly recommend this film to anyone prepared to accept that life is not all wonderful dreams and expectations. Life is sometimes cruel at stages, but the desire to overcome these hard times only makes us stronger. A must see.