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Rating: "In my religion, they teach us that every living being, every leaf, every bird, is alive only because they contain the secret word for life. It's the only difference between us and a lump of clay. The word. Words are life, Liesel. All those blank pages I give to you to fill them."
"The Book Thief - Story of a Book Thief" film based on the bestseller by Markus Zusak "The Book Thief", brought to the attention of cinema enthusiasts and touching stories by Brian Percival, famous for the series "Downton Abbey", aided by screenwriter Michael Petroni who can boast titles such as "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader".
The story is set in a troubled, humiliated Germany, shaken to its core by World War II as well as by those prejudices that, absurdly, were then seen as ideals for preserving the Aryan race. It is here that Liesel Meminger, after a long train journey, witnesses her little brother's burial and "borrows" her first book. Due to various difficulties, the girl's mother is forced to give her up for adoption to a family, the Hubermanns. Initially, the coldness of the woman destined to become her foster mother will make the unfolding of events more dramatic, but the perseverance of Hans Hubermann and that of the new friend Rudy will create the right conditions to make the protagonist's fate a bit lighter.
Liesel's passion for books and the curiosity of someone who still has a world to discover will lead her to be interested in them even though she is not yet able to read them. It is precisely this that will further encourage Hans towards Liesel, and they will help each other by creating their alphabet primer in the basement, updated with each new reading by the daughter. As the relationships between the characters continue to evolve, the scenario worsens. Racial laws are enacted, deportations of the first victims are witnessed, bonfires are lit with piles of books opposing the Third Reich considered carcinogenic for the same regime, and Liesel gets to know Max Vandenburg. Max will not only be a Jew whom the Hubermann family will look after, but also a true friend for the girl; it is he who will push her to start writing, and it is to him that she will wholly dedicate herself, keeping him a secret even from her friend Rudy. Over time, the lives of various other characters intertwine, from Rudy's father, who is first persecuted and conscripted, to the local bully who will do nothing but put a spanner in everyone's works and almost untangle Liesel's secret, from Ilsa Hermann to the foreman.
Various lives intersect almost without particular relevance, various lives are cut short, various atrocities, and amidst all this, various stories and books will be told and read by our incurable reader. The night arrives when Heaven Street is swept away by bombings; in their sleep, more lives will be destroyed, and here is the peak of drama. Little Rudy, who dreamed of nothing but being the fastest runner alive, will take with him his desire to prove himself and his love for Liesel; he couldn't run faster than death, Rosa Hubermann, who always showed her strong character and over time softened in front of that girl with big blue eyes, left regretting not sharing more of her love with her husband, Hans, whose soul was as light as that of a child, fell asleep forever with the only remorse: not having been able to play his accordion one last time.
And Liesel? Alone, abandoned in an apocalyptic scenario, she had lost everything. Too late did she realize that the boy who always asked to be kissed was her first love, granting him her farewell kiss. That girl who had seen her brother die a few years earlier found herself having to cope with that searing pain, and it was then that, by pure chance, she found the old friend Ilsa again and threw herself into her arms seeking protection and reassurance. Years later, with the war behind them, Max, who had long since had to flee Liesel's house, set out to find her, and it was while Liesel was working in Rudy's father's shop that the two met again.
Framing this masterpiece is also the soundtrack conceived and directed by John Williams, which not for the first time has earned him an Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Satellite Award, a Saturn Award, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award.
Drama genre, emotions guaranteed along with the tears that might streak your cheeks, there's just the right mix of feelings, anger, disappointment, resignation, a smile every time the character of Hans juggles between his wife and the newcomer, the right mix not to classify it as the usual movie about genocide, it would be too reductive, it would be too easy to talk about Liesel that way.
What to say, Score 5/5 whether to recommend it or not... of course, yes! Recommended both to adults and to a less mature audience due to the delicacy with which topics like these are addressed, and to ensure they understand how discrimination brings nothing but poverty of soul.
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