Excellent Film

Rating: 10/10 (16 October 2012)

We've all seen dozens of movies about the Holocaust. It makes it all the more refreshing when someone actually finds a new perspective to tell the story from. For once the protagonist is not on the persecuted minorities' side, but on the well to do German side.
Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is a happy eight-year-old boy living in Berlin. When his Nazi officer father (David Thewlis) is transferred to a new home closer to a concentration camp, Bruno is upset about leaving his friends. He quickly becomes bored in the isolated country home, and believes the concentration camp he sees from his window is a farm. He is fascinated and confused by why the people there wear "pajamas", and is determined to find out more about them. His mother (Vera Farmiga) tells him not to go in the back of the house, but Bruno manages to sneak through the woods, and find the edge of the concentration camp. There he meets Schmuel (Jack Scanlon), an eight-year-old Jewish boy living in the camp. The boys become fast friends, and Bruno comes to visit, bringing food and toys as often as he can. Despite the fact he visits a concentration camp, Bruno is still oblivious to what's really going on there. His friendship with Schmuel makes him question the anti-Semitism in his tutor's curriculum and father's military duties. Both young boys learn about friendship, betrayal, loyalty, courage and common decency, with some parents learning harsh lessons as well.
This movie is stunning, absolutely wonderful. I have never seen a film set in the Holocaust that was told from a German perspective, and I know I'm not alone in that. While most other films demonize all Germans during WW2, this film depicts the difference between Nazis and the everyday German citizen who was unable to stop the horror happening before them. What I find fascinating is that while the movie is first based off of Bruno's innocence, it slowly morphs into denial as he begins to learn more about his father and new friend. The acting in this film is superb. Asa Butterfield is a fantastic child star. One scene that stands out to me is one where he is dealing with guilt in his bedroom, which is both beautifully acted and realistic. Rupert Friend did a great job as the typical cold-hearted Nazi, and Jack Scanlon also gave a great performance as Schmuel. David Thewlis is great as usual. Unlike other WW2 films this shows the horror of the Holocaust by the people suffering through its tortures, this shows the evil of it through the point of view of people who stood on the sidelines watching it happen. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a great story of friendship, and how children are often braver and more virtuous than adults.