The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Eight-year old Bruno’s (Asa Butterfield) life is uprooted when his family moves from their home in Berlin to a new home in Poland so that his soldier father (David Thewlis) may continue his important work. Young Bruno sees a farm from his new bedroom window where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Isolated and curious, Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence. Unaware of the boy’s fate as a Jew, Bruno provides food and companionship to Shmuel out of his own loneliness. Educated by his tutor, Bruno soon becomes conflicted by his friendship with a Jew. When confronted, he denies Shmuel. But in an act of reconciliation, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the prison camp.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is another unforgettable film on the subject of the Holocaust. Told from a German boy’s perspective, this film is beautiful in its detail and somber in its execution.  It's amazingly atmospheric.

The cast is superb despite glaring English accents. And although you could take to task such a glaring oversight in another production, that criticism is quickly put to rest thanks to such incredible performances. Vera Farmiga as Bruno’s naïve mother who begins to question her husband’s role in the war is exquisite. David Thewlis as Bruno’s father whom fully believes in the Third Reich, but wants to protect his family from the ugliness of the extermination. Thewlis is a pitch perfect cold father/soldier. But it is young Asa Butterfield who speaks volumes with his inquisitive eyes that carries the film. His innocence and naiveté is enviable. And as Bruno discovers the hard realities before him, it is the viewer alongside Bruno who feels the wind blow cold and your heart break. David Hayman as Pavel—he is supposed to be a supporting character, but his role as a doctor turned Jewish prisoner of war and house servant epitomizes the subject matter.

Even with all it’s faults (underdeveloped Schmuel, underutilized Thewlis, bad accents) nothing can prepare you for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. As I see it, much like The Pianist or Schindler’s List, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas has you consider yet another view—one that forces you to see the beauty in the ugliness, one that saddens you when something so innocent is destroyed by ignorance.