not another nazi movie

trixster, does the film maintain the novel's conceit of the girl's story being observed by a personification of Death?

I haven't seen it but yes it does. I read it in a review.

yeah, death has a particularly awful and turgid voiceover narration

Fine acting and high production values almost save this unspectacular, often misjudged dispatch from Nazi Germany. Not even for the first time this year, the hatred, hysteria, and violence of this place and time is presented through the eyes of a child as the heroine loses her brother to illness, is separated from her mother (a Communist sympathizer), and, on the eve of the Second World War, finds a place in the home of a friendly German house painter and his hot tempered, but also doting wife. She is later joined by a youthful Jewish man on the run.

This is an adaptation of a popular novel, and it exhibits more than one sign of a literary adaptation gone awry. It is not hard to imagine voice-over from a personification of Death registering as a neat and modern twist on the page, but it proves distracting and intrusive in the film, his every line landing with a thud of self-conscious artifice. The story is also more crowded than it should be, intimacy with the central characters undermined by a bid on the part of the screenwriter to fit as many of the novel's ideas, incidents, and personalities into the film as he can. Earlier this year, a fantastic Australian-German film titled Lore came out, and, at least on the surface, it covers similar ground as this higher profile studio film: the confusion and pain endured by German children coming to terms with the amoral and brutal actions of their parents during the war. Where Lore hit hard, laying bare the scars of lacerating moral compromise and denying its characters, however sympathetic, a simple path forward, this film has a more comforting, precious, and self-contained air, presenting itself as the simple and sad story of perfectly noble people who live and sacrifice with near fairytale perfection under the Third Reich. So much, including the climactic deaths, should sting more than it does.

Despite the numerous flaws, however, there is still a fair amount here to recommend, including superlative performances by old pros Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson as the protagonist's adoptive German parents. Their charming, grounded, and humane performances, particularly Rush's, breathe life into the characters which may not be there otherwise, and they come close to honestly earning the smiles and tears the screenplay demands. Up-and-coming French Canadian Sophie Nélisse, 13, is also an inviting presence in the lead role. She has enormous and soulful eyes and is a natural in front of the camera. The film is also a sumptuous visual and aural experience, from the authentic costumes and sets to a gentle, somber score by none other than John Williams.

C+

Nice production values and good acting are undone by a trite narrative. The film is ultimately rather boring. C

Really? I was going to see it tomorrow. I thought it would be good, even if it's melodramatic.

I will hide this since Michael has not seen the film and is snooping around this thread.

If I wasn't in a crowded movie theater, I would've yelled "Oh, come on" at the end of that scene. Talk about maudlin.

How does this compare to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas? I actually thought that was great.

Superb performances by all involved. Ultimately, the story is a bit dull and overly dreary at the end. But I thought it was pretty good.

B.

I liked it. Not as much as The Boy In The Striped Pajamas and it is a bit dull at times, but the production values and acting are quite good and it has its moments.

7/10 (B-)