Adapted from the novel of the same name, the director is true to the original and continues to use death as the narrator, using an omniscient third-party vision, or narrative or discussion, to recount the life of a book thief.
Grim Reaper, as narrator
The choice of "Reaper" as the narrator is quite interesting. Why the god of death? What is the basis of the philosophical beliefs behind it? The historical setting of the novel may provide a clue. This is the Second World War, the era of the German Nazi army, war and massacres are everywhere. The novel's narrative which is dominated by death seems to imply that this is an era when death is taking place. power.
What's special is that the Grim Reapers in "Book Thief" are not insensitive and violent. This film invites Roger Allam to voice the Grim Reaper and act emotionally. When he first meets Liesel, he bluntly says that he doesn't know what he's interested in, but follows her on a lot. In the end, the god of death even said that he wanted to live again. Human temperament has overthrown people's fear of death. He came and wanted to take people's lives without using a scythe, but with a gentle touch. For the second time the god of death appeared. Paradise Street is bombed by warplanes. On a lonely night, he kisses Rudy's mother and takes Liesel's adoptive father away. He even commented, "This kind of soul is always light, because of what is paid. Has transcended his own life. "
Paradise Street was destroyed and turned into purgatory - this is probably something that cannot be ignored. But this is not what the god of death (or devil) means, but because of the superiority of humans, which is too terrifying. The Grim Reaper, only as a narrator, saw this human world from outside Miyun, everywhere in flames.
Heaven is broken, where is God?Furthermore, what needs to be asked is, what about God? Is it as Nietzsche said "God is dead"? As an announcement of despair after humans have sought God in vain?
Whether it's heaven or hell, it's probably just a fine line. Does war mean the absence of God? Or is God always at war? The film is good and the book is good, I think the focus of "Book Thief" is not on the dark side of human nature, but on the beauty of human nature. Death carries the "Gravedigger's Handbook" but awakens intellectual life, the dark dungeon has become a treasure trove of words, and the destruction of the book has created a more beautiful discourse ...
There are black pages in history books, but the darker the night sky, the brighter the stars. The characters in the story often reveal the beauty of human nature. The heavens on earth are destroyed. Some people destroyed it, but there were a lot more people. Creation of light and beauty always quietly builds another heaven.
In the novel, there is a sentence: “Human! Human nature haunts my heart! How can human nature be so intelligent and evil at the same time! " The film retains this part and ends there. Thoughts about human nature are still looming today.