"The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" Review - Written by TonyD

Before I get into the review, I want to mention that I WON'T be publishing any "Best Films of the Decade" articles until the end of the year, since the list I made contains some of the films from this year that will be on my top.


“The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”
2008
**** out of ****
Director: Mark Herman
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis


The great thing about the internet is that you guys only read my work. No one really knows the true me. Not you, not you, and not you either. And for the select few that read my work and know me in person, you guys still don’t know the real me. Everyone might know that I hate the shit out of “Twilight,” but only a few people know that I cried during “Wall-E.” Yes, it might seem like I’m impervious to tears through your computer screen, but if you budge, they would come.

“The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” (not “Pajamas”) was one of the movies this year that kept budging, but nothing came out. But then you leave the theater and the movie never leaves your head. It stays there and it uses your brain as its punching bag. I can say this with as straight of a face as possible – even though this film is about friendship, there is not a single happy moment in the film. I’m afraid that this is the “Children of Men” of the year. From the opening titles, you would think that all is well, but that is just a tease. Within these next ninety minutes, I was introduced to something that I never seen before of a tale that I’ve heard millions and millions of times in history.

Eight year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and his family move from Berlin to the countryside of Germany due to his father (David Thewlis) getting a promotion. His father works as a commander of a concentration camp (which resembles a lot like Auschwitz in a way) during the 40s. His mother (Vera Farmiga) follows where her husband goes, but has no idea what they are doing. While Bruno explores his house, he comes across a large wooded area that separates his house from the concentration camp. There, he meets little eight year-old Jewish-boy Shumel (Jack Scanlon) and they become friends.

I’m using friends as lightly as possible because I don’t want to ruin anything. There is a certain bond between these two boys that could never be broken. As seen in a moment of the film, Bruno blames Shumel for something which ends up badly for Shumel. And even though Shumel looks like Amy Winehouse after a long night of drinking and partying with her husband, they still remained friends.

But the film turns a slick corner when everyone’s characters start to change. The film is told in Bruno’s POV, and only when Bruno sees it do we see it. In some scenes, we may miss valuable information, but director Mark Herman makes us step down to his age and see it through the eyes of him. Bruno thinks his father is really a good guy, being told by his grandfather, his mother, and his father’s soldiers that his dad is changing history. What we know is that Bruno just doesn’t understand what is going on. When Bruno meets Shumel for the first time, he thinks Shumel is playing a big game behind the electrical fence that keep the two separated during their meetings. Once Bruno’s sister Gretel (Amber Beattie) fills him in on what is going on, Bruno’s opinion starts to change, as does he.

And so does Gretel. She doesn’t seem to be a big part of the story, but her character drives every scene. She gives up dolls to cutting out newspaper articles with pictures of Adolf Hitler. She has posters of different WWII icons all over the place and she suddenly knows everything about her time. It is because that she knows what is going on that change everyone else’s views, including their mom’s. The scene where her mom finds out just what is really going on in the concentration camp is just as shocking as it is terrifying.

I’m going to stop talking about the film before I get into uncharted territories (as in the ending)… and start talking about the film’s qualities.

For the most part, the acting is dead on. I know that EVERYONE is talking about how English actors are playing people who should be speaking with a German accent, but let’s look at it like this – “10,000 B.C.” should have been spoken in a totally different dialect, but NO. It was spoken in English. And they couldn’t even get that right! What was I saying? Oh yeah, everyone is pretty good. Thewlis and Farmiga are professionals, so there should be no reason why I should have to go into detail with those two. But as for the two leading children, they bring the true enjoyment to the film. I look forward to seeing both of them in the future.

Outside of the excellent character development, the setting is the true highlight of the film. The film goes lengths to make sure that we know where everything is located at all times. By the end of the film, we have seen so much of the setting that we could probably get through there in a matter of minutes. Not to mention how beautiful and real it looks. And once we finally do get to the scenes at the concentration camp, the filmmakers show the true brutality and don’t hold back.

I could sum the film’s score up with two words – Academy Award.

But the true question of the film is whether or not it is for you. Let’s be honest – no one should go into this film expecting it to be a fun and happy time. It is so miserable that I was just waiting for Sally Hawkins to show up and annoy the living piss out of me. I thought that I would have been able to go see more movies after the film ended, but right when the credits rolled, I called my mom to pick me up. I just wasn’t in the mood to watch “War Zone.” I think I might even have to take a few weeks off after watching this film.

Who the hell am I bullshitting?

In all seriousness, though, yes, I think everyone should go see this movie. It’s not enjoyable, but it is one of the most important films of the year. You’ll come out silent and you’ll probably question yourself as to why you spent your hard-earned money to see this torture. “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” isn’t your “High School Musical” gangbang.