Hope vs challenge in The Book Thief

I had heard friends and critics rave about this film when it opened in Brisbane in January. The book, written by Markus Zusak, as a tribute to his German mother and Austrian father is an international bestseller, having been translated into 40 languages. Yet the cinema was almost empty in its first week in Oxford as the local UK critics canned this film. Why? ignorance, politics or bad timing??? anyway, its their loss... This is a moving and multi-layered film. It is uniquely introduced by death himself, who seems to live above the clouds. As Leisl is adopted for money into a childless Bavarian family, there is clear tension between the stern mother Rosa, played by Emily Watson and her new dad Hans, played by Geoffrey Rush, who gently eases her into the harsh family life. It quickly becomes apparent that Leisl has stolen a book from the gravediggers at her brother's funeral, in order to learn to read. Hans makes this task fun and her new love of words is reinforced by her delicate brotherly relationship with the family's hidden jewish boy, Max. It is more complex and dynamic than just a different version of Anne Frank or just another Nazi drama! Because Liesl has faced the early death of her brother, she is prepared to take massive risks for life and somehow she shares this with the young Aryan Rudy, who is an ardent admirer and a loyal friend. As she learns to read, she uses literature as an escape from the daily challenges of war. Of course this movie cannot have a happy ending, but there is a sense of enduring hope that is genuinely regenerative.