The Book Thief, A Story About Those Who Tried To Save A Soul, Risking It All

A hugely anticipated adaptation of Markus Zusak’s book, The Book Thief hits the theaters this January. It captures a story about a girl, named Liesel who is given to adoption to a German family. It is all happening in the Nazi Germany, at the time of the World War II.

In the Book Thief trailer we see how she and her foster family struggle to hide a Jewish friend, in the basement of their house. Liesel is a special girl, who despite the lack of education and the fact that she cannot read, steals books. The lack of education should not be confused with the lack of intelligence. She is a brave girl, who tries her best for keeping the hope alive in her heart and in other people’s hearts. Max, the Jewish young boy that hides in her house is a passionate reader. So they both find the common love for language, which opens a new door to different ideas and thoughts.

As the story goes, Hans, the foster dad, starts teaching Liesel to read. They both develop a very sweet father-daughter relationship. Rosa, the foster mother, is seen in the beginning as a cold and distant person. In The Book Thief trailer, we see how Rosa shows no trust to Liesel, in doubting her ability to keep a secret, as she is only a kid. The story is heartbreaking and it will make you look at the Second World War and the Nazi Germany, from a different point of view.

We are rarely thinking about the fact that behind Hitler and the Nazi regime, there were ordinary people and families who supported it all. Even if keeping the head down was the safest way to protest against the regime, it was not helping to stop it. So what we get to see also in The Book Thief movie, is how people of a small German town, kept living their lives, feeding their kids, ignoring the happening and waiting for it all to be over. A devastating time is shown in this film with different tools, than the ones we are so used seeing in the typical war dramas.

The public will have moments of smiling during the movie and no one should be feeling guilty about it. The times were devastating, but there were still people with big hearts, who helped the others, who were in need. The Book Thief is directed by the very talented Brian Percival and you will get to see an Academy Award winner and a nominee, playing the amazing roles of people who tried their best, to save a lost life.