The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas drew my attention one day as I was browsing through new movies. I hadn’t really heard of it but I remembered seeing something with two little boys who make friends through the fence of a Nazi camp. I decided to rend it and though it was a pretty good movie.

Some specifics about the movie are it opened November 7, 2008. It is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving the Holocaust. The movie is about an hour and a half. Personally it seemed a little longer than that but that may be because it is a slow tempo film. The film stars Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Amber Beattie, David Thewlis, and Vera Farminga.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas has a unique view of the Holocaust from the point of view of a young boy. He knows little about the war being fought other than his family is being uprooted and his father, a soldier in the Nazi army, is moving his family out to the country. With nothing to do on his land he finds his way to the backyard leading him right up to the neighboring ‘farm’ or so he thinks. This is where, unbeknownst to him, he comes face to face with a Jewish boy whose family was recently brought to the camp. Their friendship keeps them but entertained while leaving the Nazi son still naive to the on goings of the camp and his father’s role in the war. His mother discovers the curiosity the boy has for the ‘farm’ and is concerned for his safety. His sister however is becoming a bigger Nazi soldier fan everyday.

The movie was very touching and sad. I don’t want to give anything away but like any other Holocaust movie there is always that chance of it being sad.