A little soft for me, but it's approachable and works as a drama

Rating: 8/10 (18 April 2015)

Around Remembrance Day I like to think about the sacrifices that have been made, and also the horrors of WWII so I'm drawn to films set in that time period. The trouble is that I often find myself surrounded by my family at the time and some of my nephews and family members are a bit sensitive. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is a movie about the holocaust that is tame enough to be seen by children and works as a drama that will appeal adults as well. I suppose in retrospect I have some mixed feelings about the fact that the movie is at times very sweet and does go out of it's way to tug at your heartstrings a bit, but I have to give it credit for being emotionally effective. Based on the book by John Boyne, it's the story of two 9-year-old boys separated by a fence that become friends. Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) is a Jewish inmate in a Nazi extermination camp. Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is the lonely son of the camps Commander.
The picture is very approachable, which is weird to say about a film dealing with the Nazi concentration camps, but I feel like it works in its favor. Some people might not watch this film if it had been rated R or didn't have children as the protagonists. Because the whole thing is seen through the eyes of children and their parents, it makes It easier to digest for younger viewers that can't (and shouldn't) see harsher R-rated films about the horrific events. This different viewpoint also offers a unique perspective that keeps the material fresh, even if you are familiar with the facts. The acting is very good, especially from Asa Butterfield and Jack Scanlon. Even though part of the film's emotional resonance comes straight from the non-fictional truths that anyone coming into the film already knows, these wouldn't have the same impact if it was handled by amateur performances. Director Mark Herman also does a good job by making all of the characters human. Although a lot of people in this story do evil things, none are without any redeeming characteristics and this serves to remind us that what happened wasn't some kind of alien invasion; it was human beings doing these things to one another.
I think people are going to be split about the ending. Yeah it's touching, but it's also kind of an "easy" ending in the sense that it'd would be very hard not to be emotionally affected by It. Considering this is a fictional story I think it's meant more as a metaphor than an actual possible outcome for people of the time so it works for me. If you want a tasteful film about the holocaust that young audiences can enjoy, this more than does the job. My suggestion is that you keep the remote handy to answer some of the questions that will come up, but if your 7-year-old is wondering what Remembrance Day and World War II was about, this is a good jumping point. (On DVD, November 11, 2012)