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Synopsis:
Based
on the novel by John Boyne, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS
is a wrenching Holocaust story about a young German boy and
his forbidden friendship with a Jewish child. Bruno (Asa
Butterfield) is living a charmed life in Berlin as the son
of a high-ranking Nazi soldier, when his father (David
Thewlis) is suddenly transferred to a job out in the
country. Bruno, as well as his sister Gretel (Amber Beattie)
and mother (Vera Farmiga) must all join him at his new post.
Bruno is lonely and confused by his new surroundings, and he
doesn't understand why he can't wander the grounds or play
at a nearby farm. The "farm," of course, is a concentration
camp, though Bruno doesn't know this. He soon sneaks away to
explore, and meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) a prisoner of the
camp. Shmuel is eight, the same age as Bruno, and the two
form a timid, careful friendship, playing checkers and catch
through the barbed wire fence. Bruno knows that his
friendship with Shmuel is dangerous, but after witnessing
brutal violence perpetrated against some very kind people,
he has begun to question the Nazi doctrine of hate. He is no
longer sure what to make of his soldier father, whom he once
believed to be a hero. When he learns that Shmuel is in
trouble, he vows to help him, and together the boys form an
outrageous plan that culminates in the film's devastating
climax. Farmiga and Thewlis put in excellent performances,
while Scanlon and Butterfield, are equally impressive, doing
a fine job of carrying the weight of such a heavy film. The
BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a deeply moving and - it must
be said - disturbing movie. But it is a remarkable story,
told with masterly intelligence and grace.
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