close to perfection...

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2018)

I loved the book and was not expecting to care for the film adaptation - and have watched it three times in 1.5 days - it has taken my breath away! The adaptation and direction (though quite different from the book in many aspects) have been done with such sensitivity and wisdom (but what else would you expect from the director of "Enchanted April" and "HP and the Goblet of Fire"?), and the acting is so exquisitely done that I consider this quiet film to be almost flawless. The pain, the tragedy, the terrors of the German occupation are there, but so is the humanity, the compassion, the courage, and the beauty of clinging to what life has to offer - connection. "Only connect", wrote E. M. Forster, and this film has captured it beautifully. Not to mention that it is a paean to my lifelong passion: books, reading, and sharing those words. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, RELEASE IT ON DVD IN THE U.S. - I WANT TO BUY A DOZEN COPIES TO GIVE AS PRESENTS AND TO HOLD ON TO MYSELF!
P.S. Stick around during the credits for more surprise little beauties!