A tough, brilliant drama

Rating: 10/10 (6 June 2010)

The Holocaust was of course one of the darkest hours, an event where people were rounded up and killed for their race, religion or political beliefs. This was an event that has influenced modern Western Culture, helping to dismantle the ideas of racism and empire, though obviously those issues still exist. There have been some great films about the Holocaust such as Schindler's List, The Pianist, Sophie's Choice and Conspiracy. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas can join them.
Bruno (Asa Butterfield) was eight-year-old boy living happily with in Berlin during the Second World War. His father (David Thewlis) a senior SS Officer get a promotion and his family, mum (Vera Farmiga) and older sister Gretel (Amber Beattie) move to the countryside. Bruno quickly feels lonely, with no friends and his family placing restrictions on him, like not going to the strange 'farm' where people are only wearing 'pyjamas'. But Bruno defies his parents orders and goes to farm where he meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a Jewish boy from a Concentration Camp. The two become friends and through the innocent eyes of a child the evils of Nazism are explored and challenged.
The whole point of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is tell a story about the Holocaust through the eyes of a child. A young child would not have an concept of prejudicing someone and can question the groundless basis for these views. This could have been a story that could have worked period, such as Apartheid South Africa, the Deep South of America, Greek and Turkish relations in Cyprus, Israelis and Palestinians, etc. The director Mark Herman handles this subject with great skill and really does capture the mind of a child brilliantly. As well the Holocaust which focuses on the children on both sides of the divide, Herman takes care to show other elements of Nazism, such as the education which was another wing of propaganda to indoctrinate the youth. This was shown with Gretel who became more hardcore about believing in the ideologies and shows the lengths individuals and dictatorships would go to pass on their beliefs. But I'm sure this theme and other sub-plots were developed more in the novel then it was in the film Herman shows he understands the subject and the period. There was great set-designs and show the different ideologies with a high-ranking Nazi family. He was obviously a talented director.
Herman also wrote a brilliant screenplay and with top-notch acting the film set out to show three dimensional. It could have been really easy to show the father to be a monster but it took the more braver and realistic move to show that he was a loving father to his children, yet was committing the most unspeakable evil for his work. A harsh junior officer played by Rupert Friend was given more reason why he was a horrible person to the Jews: he was also someone wanted to be good with the children. Butterfield and Scanlon are both excellent in their roles and are heart-breaking and compelling performances. Beattie and Thewlis too were very good. Farmiga at first seemed a bit too glamorous as the moment, but she too showed her range as an actress and offer a decent English accent.
It was a bold effort to make the film more accessible to children, but it is very hard-hitting about the subject. It should only be watched by children around 10-year-old plus. This is a brilliant film, one of the best of 2008.