MOVIE REVIEW: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Movies about the Holocaust are a cathartic experience for me; whether fact or fiction based, they always serve as a reminder to my sense of humanity and assessment of my moral compass when viewing from either perspective of the Nazis or the prisoners. It is painful to realize in the 70 years since the war began, that genocide is still a major world issue, but stories and accounts are the ray of hope that makes awareness and action possible. It is for that reason I welcomed The Boy in the Striped Pajamas with open arms, and despite minor historical liberties, manages to be an effective and powerful film with a slightly different message than those of us who are familiar with these films would expect.

In the early 1940s, young Bruno moves into the German countryside from Berlin with his affluent family after his father, a high-ranking officer in the SS, is comissioned to preside over a remote working camp. Restless from the isolation, Bruno wanders toward the camp boundaries and encounters Shmuel, a young Jewish boy the same age as him. The two bond over the bewilderment of their predicaments; their naivetee punctuated by their chance meeting occuring simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. As time passes on and the veil of secrecy from Nazi propaganda is slowly pulled away from the family's eyes, the boys also gradually become aware that the work camp is more harrowing than they expected; and tragedy looms in their wake.

In war, the first victims to suffer are generally children. We as global human society send minors to fight our battles, and brainwash those of elementary age with propaganda. The most heartbreaking thing of all is neither side, whether you're looking at the "enemy" or the "ally", typically fully understands why this is happening. That is why I felt this film struck that chord beautifully, and actually has a theme that resonates stronger with the loss of innocence as a result of the horrors of war. Sure, historical accuracies can be questioned, such as why Shmuel got away with survival in the camp for such a long period of time, but that isn't quite the film's main purpose. I was so drained after watching this film, I had to go straight to bed. But in the end, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas managed to exceed my expectations. On top of teriffic acting and a haunting score by James Horner, this is a film I will remember for a long time.

9/10

Peace,
- Jon