COURAGE BEYOND WORDS.
In 1938, young Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) arrives in a small German town as a foster child; within short, her new family is harboring a young Jewish man (Ben Schnetzer) on the run… This adaptation of the popular novel has very young actors that don’t age even though the story takes place over several years; accents in the dialogue also come across as forced at times. There is nothing in this polished film that is as moving as the original story, a depiction of wartime Germany and its moral issues through the eyes of children. However, Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson are fine and the filmmakers maintain their grip on us throughout.
2013-U.S.-Germany. 131 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Brian Percival. Novel: Markus Zusak. Music: John Williams. Cast: Geoffrey Rush (Hans Hubermann), Sophie Nélisse (Liesel Meminger), Emily Watson (Rosa Hubermann), Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Levin Liam.
