Very powerful - but not quite how I pictured it

Rating: 9/10 (23 June 2009)

I saw this film at home shortly after completing the book, so obviously the plot and minor details were all still fresh in my mind. And I have to say that while I did find the film very moving, there were a few glaring things I noticed that didn't seem to match with the book. I'll just get those out of the way first; 1) The characters look quite different to how I pictured them. Bruno in particular looks like a mini-Hitler, with the perfect haircut and big blue eyes which he doesn't seem to blink. I expected his father to have a big curly moustache, not that that matters! ;) 2) The friendship between Bruno and Shmuel didn't interest me in the film as it had done in the book. Bruno actually regards Shmuel with disdain at first, and doesn't seem to like his name much. 3) Smhuel actually looks about the same size as Bruno, and a lot of the people in the camp at the end look rather well-fed. I found I was able to watch them without feeling too distressed, as they didn't look particularly unhealthy - just dirty and forlorn. 4) The meeting point for the two boys was set in a forest, and not too far away from Bruno's house. It is a walk of a couple of miles in the book, and I expected it to be more open, barren. Shmuel is actually within sight of the soldiers and fellow camp mates, and yet they happily play Chess and throw balls to one another over the fence. 5) Bruno not only already has a pair of striped pyjamas, but he also doesn't shave his hair! And he takes his cap off before entering the gas chamber, yet no-one notices him!
However, these points aside, there were some excellent parts which I - well, not enjoyed, but was deeply moved by. 1) When Kotler lost his temper with Pavel, the looks on the faces of the children really broke my heart. I couldn't believe the father was sitting there eating calmly, while his family were almost in tears! 2) The mother gave an outstanding performance - I could really feel her distress when searching for Bruno, and when Kotler accidentally revealed the source of the 'awful smell', I joined her in horrified shock, she conveyed her emotion so well. 3) Aside from his Nazi-ish looks (and the rather shaky start to the friendship), I thought Bruno did a wonderful job too. At the end, as he was comforting Smhuel in the 'shower', I was willing them to escape, to survive - and of course his childish innocence was well delivered. 4) Gretel did a good job of playing the bratty but there-when-you-need-her sister, and the scene with her sitting in bed with Bruno as their parents argued was very moving. 5) Of course, the final, dramatic scene with the gas chamber - all the banging and panic, and then just silence. Words can't describe how incredible that scene was. It was just so awful... All in all, if I hadn't read the book previously, I would've given this about a 9, but there were just a few parts here and there that I was uncomfortable with. The cast delivered excellent performances however, and I would definitely watch this again.