Profound war film - with a difference

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2012)

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is one of those II WW dramas where war events are in the background, beyond, i.e. no proximate battles around, but idyllic life is soon spoiled by horrible things difficult to cover as the war advances. And typically to all totalitarian regimes, one must always take sides, choose and prove his/her loyalty, hesitating or opposing in any way is not tolerated. This is all especially confusing and tragic for children, as they have misshapen and vague picture due to two main reasons: their limited comprehension as well the fact that adults try to gloss them over nasty things.
The storyline of the film advances smoothly and is rather credible, the only thing that seemed strange to me was how those boys could meet so openly for so long time? What about guards and/or electrical fences? Using this corner, many could have escaped... The ending is unanticipated and forms a sharp contrast with the pace before.
The cast is great, especially Vera Farmiga as Elsa, Asa Butterfield as Bruno (far better performance than in blockbuster Hugo) and David Thewlis as Ralf. As for the director Mark Herman, it is his best (and for some reason or another) last film so far.