The boy in the striped pyjamas

(review)

Tiberius Hodoroabă

The film strives for a kid's-eye-view of Holocaust horrors. Little Bruno has a Nazi
officer dad who has just moved the family from Berlin to a stark box of a house out in the
country so he can be -- wink, wink -- closer to his work. One day Bruno asks his mother about
the "farm" he can see from his bedroom window. Why do the farmers all wear pajamas, he
wants to know? Later, he notices smoke rising from the "farm" smokestacks - what's that
about? Mummy, being a decent person as well as willfully clueless, doesn't know how to
answer. But Daddy, when asked about "those people," has a ready answer for little Bruno:
"Those people - you realize they're not really people at all."
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. s the insidious
evil of the Nazis as two-fold.
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.
The end of the film is telegraphed and seems to come in terribly slow motion.
Every character is incredibly complex, from Jewish servant Pavel, who was once a
doctor and now peels potatoes and serves drinks (Bruno can't understand why he'd give up his
career), to Lieutenant Kotler, the intimidating German officer who shows no clemency to the
Jews, yet carefully hides his own doubts about the orders he carries out. No supporting
character is wasted, and each is perfectly portrayed by an incredibly talented cast.
With its slim run-time, "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" seems a sound choice for a
future generation of teachers to show their high school students in lieu of an epic like
"Schindler's List". As the real survivor accounts sadly fade with the passing of time, the
horrors of the Holocaust will remain firmly in place in the world's historical fiction for
centuries to come long after the last person who actually witnessed it has died. These stories
will forever be screaming at us, and we would be wise to listen. Fault the film if you wish, but
in its bold child-like simplicity it show.