The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: A Comment.

Rating: 4/10 (31 January 2009)

Perhaps the most important concern of the story is naiveté. Not simply childhood naiveté but the childlike version in adults. It is this that is not only one of the most interesting aspects of the picture, but its most problematic. It manifests itself here in Bruno's initial perception of the "farm" and the workers in their striped PJs, which is one thing. More sadly, but less believably, it also is reflected in the fact that the depth of the systemic hatred and lack of humanity in Bruno's father (David Thewlis), not to mention the dark details of his new job, barely register at first with Bruno's mother (Vera Farmiga), an innocent, then concerned, then indignant woman with some shreds of humanity that she fails to act upon until she sees her children become too exposed to the cruel philosophies and actions of their father and his henchmen.
As the story progresses, the level of ignorance of the two boys at its center regarding the circumstances that envelop them becomes less and less plausible, especially considering that they each witness and experience some of the abuse of the soldiers first-hand. Late into the film, Bruno has seen some of the rougher side of his father, yet, when asked by Shmuel if he is proud of his father, Bruno responds in the affirmative with seemingly a minimum of hesitation. Further, Bruno seems to have little if any doubts about his family, even in the face of his sister's rapidly increasing phobia, militancy, and hatred. Most profoundly, despite the fact that Shmuel himself toils in the camp, he does not even come close to suspecting that the explanations he is given about his and his parents' predicament, why he was transported there, and why people in the compound keep mysteriously disappearing may be weak attempts to mask something that is wrong. It's nearly impossible to accept that, when he realizes his own father is missing, he starts searching the camp for him, oblivious to the notion, despite where he is, that he may have been murdered. It isn't until the final, waning minutes in the film, when the boysBruno especially, but to an extent even Shmuelbegin to better comprehend the wickedness of the camp. These may be kids, but I doubt real children in similar circumstances would be as clueless as the film assumes they would be, no matter at which side of the fence the sit.
The basic conceit of the film is certainly engaging and there are many scenes that are memorable for their drama, tension, and horror, but, in its realization, the filmmakers attribute so much permanence to childhood innocence that much of the story's credibility is undermined. They assume that such innocence can continue to survive, will not erode, even under circumstances as difficult and raw as these.