I just finished reading the book (from the libtrary) twice and viewing the film (my own copy) three times. I strongly recommend reading the book before seeing the motion picture as doing this will clarify most of the scenes in the movie where the passage of time or the real meaning of certain scenes is too ambiguous. As a person approximately the same age as the principal character was in the story (dob 1932) and having followed WWII daily as a newspaper carrier, and being a history buff, the book and the film both made a profound impression on me. Particularly enlightening were the additional details about the making of the film and the comments of both the author and the director which are included on the DVD of Fateless. The cinematography was superb.