Of all the films to have come out of the big YA adaptation
boom of late, I can safely say that I would never have expected this one.
However, I can at least semi-understand the decision behind this on two fronts.
Firstly, the third-wave of YA adaptations has been largely focused on dark,
totalitarian and/or post-apocalyptic settings, so it only stands to reason that a
setting from our own history that unfortunately fits into that category would
be considered. Secondly, films set in Nazi Germany are easy Oscar bait. So,
given this criteria, today’s film was one designed not only to appease the
Academy crowd but also as a sleeper agent to get the attention of teens who
likely would have read or are currently reading the source material for school…
what could possibly go wrong? This is The Book Thief.