REVIEW: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

This is a film that kind of slipped through the cracks to me. I rented it on Netflix and being a WW2 film afficando I was compelled to check it out. The film centers around Bruno an 8 year old who lives with his Nazi general Dad and Mom, and sister. Bruno is aware of the war around him, and the Nazi's that often live in his home in the country, but Bruno is more concerned with reading adventure books and exploring the land around their country home. One day Bruno sees what he thinks may be a farm in the far distance. He notices that the farmers all seem to be wearing striped pajamas. Curious about this "farm" Bruno decides to find a way to get over to the farm, and in doing so makes friends with an 8 year old behind the fence named Shmuel. Bruno keeps his relationship with Shmuel a secret from his family of course. His own sister is obsessed with the Hitler youth, so Bruno must sneak out every day to visit and feed Shmuel tasty treats from the mansion.



One day Shmuel tells Bruno that his father has gone missing in the camps and he cannot find him. Bruno hatches a plan from one of his adventure books, to help him find his father. I can't really say much more about it from here as it would ruin the impact of the film's climax. The film is based on the book for young adults by John Boyne, and it feels light in that respect but in a good way.




The thing I really liked about this movie was that director Mark Herman never strays from the perspective of the boy Bruno. It's about the ultimate loss of innocence. I have read some criticism that even though it features the great actors, David Thewlis and the awesome Vera Farmiga (If you have not seen "Down to the Bone" with her, then shame on you.) it never gets caught up in their own personal drama, it's still seen through Bruno's eyes. I think that's the right thing to do here. Even though this is a film about genocide, it is a very peaceful introspective experience. "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is a wonderful little film that I think everyone will enjoy. It's out on DVD now.