The Book Thief | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere

For two hours I was a resident on that small town German street. I cared about the characters, laughed with them, and was pierced by the tragedies they endured.

The Book Thief mixes British actors using German accents, a few German actors, and the occasional German word, creating a playfully successful illusion of German-ness. The story is tragic and captivating at the same time. Nélisse and Rush are outstanding.

Laudably, The Book Thief 's main theme is the need to defend culture, a subject of the greatest urgency in the present political situation.

Doesn't always trust the story to work on its own, so it wedges in a few too many big moments - and one egregious bit of product placement - but when it relies on the performances, it works.