Heavy, compelling, sensitive and sad.

Rating: 8/10 (27 November 2008)

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - When young Bruno (Asa Butterfield)'s father (David Thewlis), an SS man, is sent to work at Auschwitz, Bruno makes friends with a Jewish boy named Shmuel (Jack Scanlon). Through the camp's electrified fence, their friendship grows and Bruno gradually learns of the sinister nature of his father's work.
What the film drives home is that not all Germans approved of the Nazi regime's plans and ideals. Is it a sad movie? Of course it is (particularly for mothers. hint hint). The Holocaust is such a grim subject that it's impossible, and beyond the point, to make a film about it that isn't sad. What is important is what this film does differently from prior Holocaust films. It's a story about friendship, redemption and fulfilling oaths. The exact events are fictitious, but does that really matter? There were millions of deaths and there were some German sympathizers, so the story rings true in any case.
Asa Butterfield gives a genuinely sweet performance as Bruno. He is imaginative, good-hearted, and almost entirely in the dark about what is going on, as would any 8 year old. And though he is in the dark, he sees clearer than many people around him because he's such an innocent. As such, we often see things from his perspective. Vera Farmiga has an interesting character evolution as Bruno's mother. She goes from ignorance and obedience to rebellious as she quickly sees her husband and the 'camps' in a new light. David Thewlis is cold yet not uncaring to his family, though he seems to always put his duties before fatherhood. It is interesting to note that Nazis did try to keep their families in the dark about what was going on, much as they 'believed' that their actions were the correct ones.
One minor performance that was actually the most moving for me was the part of Pavel the Jewish servant (David Hayman) who was previously a doctor. He says practically nothing, but you can see it in his eyes just bursting to come out of him.
The end of the film is telegraphed and seems to come in terribly slow motion. Much as the film is light and has self-aware humor at the beginning, it's often terribly dark. It's a good film, and a decent tearjerker.
Heavy, compelling, sensitive and sad, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas gets a B+