Just when I thought films about the Holocaust and the horrible evil that was the Nazi regime had exhausted every possible point-of-view, along comes The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, one of the most riveting and touching movies to cover the topic since Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning Schindler’s List. What’s more amazing is how much this film is the polar opposite of Spielberg’s broad and sprawling epic, and yet still packs the same emotional wallop. Where Schindler’s List set out to shine a light on the bigger-than-life story of one man’s impressive efforts to save literally hundreds of would-be victims from the Nazi concentration camps, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a much more intimate and personal tale of a simple bond between two eight-year-old boys. That these boys are on opposite sides of the political fence — one is a Jew, the other the son of a Nazi soldier — doesn’t matter a bit to them. They’re just kids who would prefer to share a laugh over a game of checkers or toss a ball around than talk politics or take sides in a war. Too young to know better and not yet old enough to even consider the implications of war, they are both the epitome of childhood innocence.
Based on the novel by John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a remarkable exploration of the duality of human nature at every stage of life — the dichotomy between good and evil, between innocence and experience, between freedom and oppression. I was completely enthralled and taken with how well the film gets these points across swiftly and succinctly, without resorting to heavy-handed messages or platitudes. In the hands of writer/director Mark Herman (Brassed Off, Little Voice), the movie is simply allowed to unfold organically, never becoming too obvious or conspicuous. Even from the film’s opening moments, we only get glimpses of symbols and icons that set the time and location as Germany at the outset of World War II: a fluttering swatzstika emblazoned on a flag; a Nazi soldier patrolling the streets; a sheepish-looking man with a yellow star sewn on his lapel. Later there’s a more obvious military effort to liquidate a large housing complex that recalls a similar scene from Schindler’s List, but it all serves as mere window dressing to a group of oblivious boys running and playing through the streets of Berlin, unaware that their lives are about to change forever.
One of the boys in this group is eight-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), the bright-eyed son of a high-ranking Nazi soldier referred to only as Father (David Thewlis). Bruno comes home one day after playing with friends to learn from his mother (Vera Farmiga) that they are going to be moving since his father has gotten a promotion. Of course, Bruno doesn’t care about his father’s good fortune or the promise of a new home — he wants to stay where they are, near his friends. During a lavish farewell party a sobering dose of reality sets in as it is revealed that Bruno’s father is to be put in charge of a Nazi concentration camp. While his own father (Richard Johnson) is proud of his son’s new assignment, his mother (Sheila Hancock) is dubious about her son’s role in Hitler’s army and makes no bones about saying so. This is the first of several examples of duos who find themselves at odds with each other in the film — people who end up on opposite sides of the fence, if you will. Nevertheless, Bruno packs up his things and moves away from his friends with his father, mother and sister Gretel (Amber Beattie) to a new home “out in the country.” Bruno bristles at the stark new house that seems cold and remote … and without a potential playmate in sight. He clearly has issues with his older sister Gretel, and he misses his friends back home.
Bruno soon notices what he thinks is a farm nearby from his upstairs bedroom window. He gets even more excited when he sees there are children there as well. The only odd thing is they all appear to be wearing pajamas — hence, the title. Only an eight-year-old boy with a vivid imagination could confuse a labor confinement camp with a working farm and the inmates’ striped uniforms with pajamas. When he asks his mother about the farm and if he can go play with the children there, she sternly warns him against it and prohibits him from even going anywhere near the back of the house which faces the “farm.” Meanwhile, Bruno’s father has been working long hours and Nazi soldiers have been coming in and out of the house, especially a hot-headed one named Karl (Henry Kingsmill) on whom Gretel has obviously developed a doting crush. This forbidden fascination leads Gretel to abandoning her doll collection for a new hobby: Nazi propaganda posters that she starts plastering all over her bedroom walls as if they were pin-ups from Teen Beat.
Bruno’s curiosity eventually gets the best of him and he ventures out to explore “the farm” one day while his mother has gone shopping in town. After a long trek through the woods, he stumbles upon a high fence topped with barbed wire and a small boy in those same, striped “pajamas” sitting on the other side of it. The boy introduces himself as Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), also eight years old. The two strike up a fast friendship, despite the electrified fence between them. Bruno promises to return and to bring some food next time, unaware that Shmuel has been imprisoned by his own father. Bruno goes to visit his captive friend everyday, pretending that he’s going to play on his tire swing in the garden. He brings Shmuel treats and they even play checkers. When Bruno tosses a ball over the fence for Shmuel to throw back, the captive warns that it’s “too dangerous.” Bruno hopes to one day be able to play with Shmuel without having a fence between them; he’ll soon get his wish when Shmuel pops up unexpectedly in his dining room, having been ordered to clean some fine crystal glasses. Without thinking, Bruno gives Shmuel a snack which raises the ire of Nazi soldier Karl, who suspects the Jewish boy has stolen the food without permission. When asked if he gave the food to Shmuel, Bruno denies it, resulting in a swift punishment for Shmuel. Bruno regrets having lied about his friend and fears the worse when Shmuel doesn’t show up at the fence for a few days in a row. When he does finally reappear, it’s apparent he’s been beaten for having accepted Bruno’s hospitality.
Back at home, tensions rise as Bruno’s mother learns that the Jewish inmates are systematically being exterminated at the camp under her husband’s orders and, even worse, Gretel is evolving into a rampant Hitler youth. She’s also fearful of what Bruno and Gretel are being taught by the tutor that’s been hired to come to the house. After confronting her husband, she decides to leave and take both Bruno and Gretel with her. Bruno’s father breaks the news to his children, and while Gretel is fine with the idea of moving away with her mother, Bruno has gotten comfortable in his new home and secretly doesn’t want to leave Shmuel. Panic-stricken, Bruno pays another visit to Shmuel to tell him about their pending move … but Shmuel is more concerned about his own father who’s gone missing after leaving for a work detail. Still feeling guilty over having caused his friend harm, Bruno agrees to come back early the next day before they are scheduled to leave to help Shmuel find his father. The two boys hatch a clever plan whereby Bruno will tunnel under the fence and pose as a Jewish boy on the inside to help Shmuel find his father. But this well-intentioned scheme leads to a shocking conclusion that affects everyone involved and forces them all to rethink their allegiances to the Fatherland.
