Claim: David Thewlis has had a job.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas -LRB- released as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in the United States ; see spelling differences -RRB- is a 2008 British-American historical period drama based on the novel of the same name by Irish writer John Boyne . Directed by Mark Herman , produced by BBC Films and Heyday Films , and distributed by Miramax -LRB- North America -RRB- and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures -LRB- International -RRB- , the film stars Vera Farmiga , David Thewlis , Asa Butterfield , and Jack Scanlon . It was released on 12 September 2008 in the United Kingdom .   The Holocaust drama explores the horror of a World War II Nazi extermination camp through the eyes of two 8-year-old boys ; Bruno -LRB- Butterfield -RRB- , the son of the camp 's Nazi commandant , and Shmuel -LRB- Scanlon -RRB- , a Jewish inmate .