WWII German youth with heart - best story of year?

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2014)

A much better film than I expected (which was a too-obvious tear jerker ripping off Anne Frank), this. The previews feature a girl stealing a book from the infamous Nazi book-burnings. The actual story involved so much more - German youth rejecting Hitler (there had to be some and there's a paucity of examples in our literature and movies). Decent Germans hiding a Jew out of debt to his father; A young refugee adopted by them, the girl being taught to read and coming of age. Geoffrey Rush will get an Oscar nomination for his performance, for sure, though he faces stiff competition this year. A surer bet for the Oscar win is Heike Makatsch, who plays the - at first - shrewish mother. Unless I'm too unsentimental, I'd favor this as best story/screen play of the year also (12 years a Slave and Saving Mr Banks notwithstanding).