Berlin was a cruel place in the midst of World War II. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," directed and written by U.K. native Mark Herman, captures the emotion of this distressing time by following the unexpected friendship of Bruno and Shmuel, two eight-year-old boys who live on opposite sides of a concentration camp's barbed-wire fence. The film is adapted from Irish author John Boyne's 2006 award-winning novel.
Bruno, played by 11-year-old actor Asa Butterfield, recently moved because of his father's military promotion at a Nazi concentration camp. As he looks out his new bedroom window, Bruno sees a "farm" in the distance with strange farmers who wear "striped pajamas." Despite his mother's orders to stay away from the "farm," Bruno explores the area and finds Shmuel, a young Jewish boy struggling to survive in the Nazi concentration camp.
Shmuel, played by 11-year-old Jack Scanlon, wears an adorable toothless grin despite the fact that he is starving to death and being persecuted by Nazi officers. Although his character is sweet and lovable, Scanlon puts on a believable performance and offers a glimpse into the fearful lives of the Jewish prisoners. Scanlon and Butterfield add a significant "cute-factor" to the film, which makes its heart-breaking theme less upsetting. Their youthful spirits lighten the mood of a movie that will inevitably bring moviegoers to tears.
The film's overall sentiments are similar to those of "Schindler's List," the 1993 Best Picture Academy Award-winning film about a German businessman who saves hundreds of Jews from perishing in the Nazi gas chambers. Both movies depict the horror of the Holocaust and the frightening power of the German soldiers.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" reveals a side of World War II that most people have never considered: the innocent family members of the Nazi soldiers. The film's most memorable and genuine performance involves Bruno's defenseless mother (Vera Farmiga). Farmiga, who also starred in "The Departed" and "The Manchurian Candidate," plays a woman torn between the safety and innocence of her children, her loyalty to her husband and her concern for the tormented Jewish prisoners.
David Thewlis, who plays Bruno's Nazi father, will excite J.K. Rowling fans because of his previous role as Professor Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter films.
Another actor who will spark memories is Rupert Friend, who played Mr. Wickham in the 2005 adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice." Friend plays Lt. Kohler, a young and ruthless officer who shows his hatred towards the Jewish prisoners through extreme physical and verbal abuse. Although he is the film's most attractive actor, Friend's character will be hated because of his merciless, barbarian actions.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" offers a unique perspective on the Holocaust by revealing the hostile environment that tore non-Jewish German families apart.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
