As usual, the movie version of Sarah's Key was not nearly as impactful as the book. In terms of plot, the movie stayed fairly true to the original novel. The most notable difference was the sequencing of events involving William Rainsferd and Mame. In the book, the events all seem to culminate around the death of Mame, who played a rather insignificant role in the movie. Instead, the director Gilles Paquet- Brenner chose to disconnect the two stories by having Richard Rainsferd tell the truth about Sarah instead of Julia.
Overall, the movie was less impactful for me because Julia's viewpoint was limited. In books, readers can experience the thought and emotion behind every action, dialogue, and interaction with other characters. The absence of such thought in the movie contributed to an experience that could not compare to the book. However, viewing trumped reading in the portrayal of Michael's death. Watching the young boy die in the closet and subsequently watching his sister Sarah discover his body evoked more emotion then the book could (watch the scene below). In short, books and movies can each provide a very different experience while delivering the same story.
Overall, the movie was less impactful for me because Julia's viewpoint was limited. In books, readers can experience the thought and emotion behind every action, dialogue, and interaction with other characters. The absence of such thought in the movie contributed to an experience that could not compare to the book. However, viewing trumped reading in the portrayal of Michael's death. Watching the young boy die in the closet and subsequently watching his sister Sarah discover his body evoked more emotion then the book could (watch the scene below). In short, books and movies can each provide a very different experience while delivering the same story.
This chilling scene from the movie Sarah's Key shows Sarah discovering her dead brother Michael in the closet of her former home.