If your heart isn't beating noticeably hard by the end...

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2009)

...then you don't have a heart. I'm not going to spoil this one, but the ending WILL make your heart race, and you WILL be glued to the screen until the credits roll. This is a great film, but it's the end that you will really remember. As I was watching, I conceived the ending before it happened, yet I never truly believed it would play out just like I thought.
This film is the story of an innocent 8 year old German boy, Bruno, who moves to the countryside with his family. His father is a high-ranking SS officer, and his sister is a devout Nazi youth. He finds himself wondering why the people working on the farm behind the new house all are wearing pyjamas. He fancies himself an adventurer, so he decides to journey to the "farm" without the knowledge of his parents. It is there he meets "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas." You will notice throughout the movie, that instead of taking on a perfect angel role like many children in movies, Bruno is the average eight-year-old with the average eight-year-old flaws. In the same way, the movie never quite draws the line between good or evil for most of the characters. In short, this movie deals with humanity and the loss of innocence in a realistic sense.
The acting could have been a little bit better from the matured cast members, so this falls short of a perfect 10. However, the ending more than makes this a worthwhile watch. Don't miss it.