I never read the book. I never HEARD of the book. I never heard of the author. I'd never heard about this movie. Now that I've seen it, I'm wondering just how good this wonderful little Mulligan kid can become. The purpose of the kids' existence is as appalling as the revelations of Nazi atrocities. But, we are sucked in to caring about Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. This is the mark of the truly great movie. Carey again proves that she is the real thing, one of the finest actors of our age. She's too young to be this good. She acts with her face, her words, but mostly through her eyes, which look like they have the wisdom of the ages behind them. Of course, this cannot be, because she's only in her 20's. Add up her entire book of work, and she becomes one of the most bankable stars around.