The Holocaust was undeniably one of the greatest tragedies committed by man. I know it happened, but it's so hard to comprehend how someone could perpetrate such cruelty and be so convincing in his beliefs to have so many follow him, perhaps to the point of denying the reality of what they are doing. I am sure that all of you have seen at least one film about the Holocaust. Films have been made that take us inside the camps, forcing us to confront the horror that often seems too shocking to be real. From Schindler's List to The Pianist, from The Grey Zone to Judgment at Nuremberg, the big screen has regularly made attempts to deal with the horror. Now along comes The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a film that takes a personal, innocent, and tragic look at the tragedy.
Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is an eight-year-old boy living with his family in Berlin. He is happy playing with his friends and admiring his father Rudolf's (David Thewlis) powerful status as a Nazi officer without really being aware of the specifics. Young Bruno arrives home one day to find his life on the verge of a drastic change. His father has been promoted and the family is leaving their expansive home for the country. The family is honored and expected to be happy for the move, but Bruno is none too pleased as he will miss the home he loves and his friends.
After the move, Bruno finds himself in a large, foreboding home that doesn't look much like the farmhouse he expected. Soldiers come and go and Rudolf can be seen taking meetings behind closed doors. Despite his displeasure with the move, Bruno takes the opportunity to explore the grounds around the home. He is most curious about the farm he can see from his bedroom window, the one were people wear striped pajamas to work. Unfortunately, the possibility of getting a closer look is forbidden as his mother (Vera Farmiga) doesn't allow the young boy in the closed-off back garden.
Bruno's curiosity is piqued and when the door is left ajar he goes through and heads off into the woods. His exploration leads him to a the back edge of the "farm". The land is encircled by electrified barb wire and on the other side sits a young boy, Schmuel (Jack Scanlon). The two become fast friends, with Bruno visiting as often as he can.
What makes the film so fascinating is how the friendship between the two boys develops and what the two do for each other. The story is very much one of lost innocence as Bruno begins to have his blinders stripped away. He sees his mother and father argue over her obvious disapproval for what he does and her desire to protect Bruno and his sister, Gretel, from witnessing.
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