The Book Thief at the Glasgow Film Festival Review
The Book Thief
Glasgow Film Festival
Reviewed by Lorna Templeton
A heavyweight addition to the lineup at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, The Book Thief is a vivid and beautifully pitched adaptation of Markus Zusak’s popular novel.
We’re thrust into the dark heart of 1940s Germany as we follow the struggle of a young girl, Liesel (Sophie Nélisse), to come to terms with the brutal realities, inconsistencies and downright idiocies of war.
Forced to move in with a foster family while her communist mother goes on the run from the authorities, Liesel forges close bonds with her new “papa” (Geoffrey Rush) and Rudy (Nico Liersch), the boy next door who remains her faithful shadow until the narrator (Roger Allam) sends them on different paths.
Her real soul mate, however, is Max (Ben Schnetzer), a house guest whose wit and charm belie the horror of his situation. It is through and for him that Liesel comes to understand the power of the written word, but also the true grimness of the age.
It’s a tale of death and destruction, hopes beaten down and potential thwarted. But it’s the little vignettes of humanity that stay with you – making the senselessness of what bring them out even more depressing.
Utterly compelling, it’s not often there’s an adaptation of a bestseller that so accurately captures the mood and emotion of the book. A must-see.
Rating: 5/5 
Glasgow Film Festival runs from 20 February – 2 March 2014 with a packed programme including pop-up cinema and special events in unique Glasgow venues ensuring that the Festival presence is felt in every corner of the city.
The Festival embraces cinema without prejudice or boundaries to create an event that has something for everyone at affordable prices that will be appreciated by all.
