Astonishing & incredibly moving

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2014)

I went into this film with very low expectations, having read the book and totally adoring it I was afraid, afraid that it would get mangled and the essence of what made the book great would get lost in translation to film and get distorted or diluted. I was more than pleasantly surprised by it. From the opening lines I knew it was going to be faithful to the book and the essence of what the book wanted to portray and the message it conveyed would be preserved.
It is intensely moving, and forces a reaction from the viewer. It shows how humans can be so cruel, narrow minded and vindictive, and how the sometimes unpalatable repercussions from these acts manifest themselves, it shows how the desire the human race has to annihilate itself and yet on the other side of the coin how individuals who refuse to conform to the expectations of the time go to lengths which put themselves in danger to do the right thing by showing compassion to fellow human beings.
The fact this story is narrated by death drives the point home even more, and is the reason I loved the book so much as it was a highly original idea, and the fact it wasn't entirely lost in the film was very gratifying to see.
I would unhesitatingly recommend this film as it is so much more than a period piece Second World War film, or a story about the appreciation of literature, whatever message and reaction you get from this film is entirely individual as there are so many layers and so much depth to it, and it is subjective as to what the viewer picks up on. You are not spoon fed a beginning, middle and end or given any answers, you are left to ponder and discover for yourself what you want to take from it, and that is what in my opinion makes it magnificent.