A powerful film about friendship, family, humanity, as well as the Holocaust.

Rating: 10/10 (29 September 2010)

The film starts out small, but slowly grows larger. As it goes on the film gets more powerful. It has a strong cast, great direction, and a constant strength. It not only covers the Holocaust, but it also covers many other things also. There is the friendship that the two boys have. Despite the Zazi system telling them they are supposed to be enemies they form a strong bond. The German boy Bruno sees kindness in the Jewish boy's heart despite him being in a family that is in the Nazi party. The Jewish boy Shmuel sees that Bruno is not like the Nazis who put himself in the camp. He sees kindness in him just like Bruno did with Shmuel. Also it talks about what family means. Bruno's family as I said is Nazi. His father is part of Hitler's army, and his sister has posters all over her walls showing support for the Nazis. Despite this we see that he still loves his family. We see that he doesn't know what side to be on. Should he follow his heart, or should he follow his people. On one side he has this friend he met that he believes is not evil like what his people tell him he is. On the other he has the family he loves that he couldn't imagine would be part of a cruel treatment of an innocent people. We feel his emotions, and we are there with him all the way through his hard decisions on what is right. Then we have how the film shows humanity even in someone as cruel as a Nazi officer. I would explain this, but that would spoil the ending. As for the ending you don't see endings this powerful often. There is also terrific acting. Nobody in the cast doesn't deliver a well put together performance. Overall this is in my opinion a fantastic film.
4 stars out of 4