The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas

The film, set in Germany during WWII, is a tale of innocence lost due to "rational" thought as it tells the story of a friendship that develops between 2 young boys, Bruno and Leon. Bruno is the son of a German officer who is transferred to the "countryside" to oversee a very important project. The whole family is moved to the countryside, and events take place to bring Leon to Bruno's attention. Shmuel is a boy dressed in what looks like striped pyjamas and lives in a compound-like farming spot, and Bruno doesn't quite understand many things about his new surroundings, but likes Shmuel's company as Bruno left behind his friends in the city, and Shmeul is his only friend in the countryside. Shmuel, obviously, is a Jewish boy who has been imprisoned simply for being a Jew or having Jewish parentage.

Don't be surprised if you want to just go and curl yourself into the fetal position after watching this film because the horrific tragedy on the holocaust is illustrated thusly, and with thought-provoking skill in crafting this film. Man's inhumanity towards another based solely on their religious beliefs is on full display. Systematically, to justify their atrocious behavior towards Jews, the Germans who ascribed to Hitler's views would villify them, calling them "vermin", etc. Bruno is an innocent boy, being told repeatedly what to believe by his father (in terms of how to treat Jews), though his mother falters in keeping a staunch face of hate towards the Jews as the film develops.

After watching the film, I'm reminded of the line from Sting's song "Russians" where he hopes "Russians love their children too." as this applies far too easily to Germans who supported Hitler's worldview, and acted accordingly, and looking back, the question of how does genocide ever become acceptable surely bubbles up ferociously to the surface, though it still happens today in other parts of the world, it's worthwhile to look back and see if we can learn lessons from the past if we are to become open to a better tomorrow for our children, our future.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B (it's a film that will stay in your consciousness, though don't be surprised to find that there are other viewpoints who feel it's manipulative and heavy-handed).