The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

Genre: Drama

Language: English

Director: Mark Herman

Cast: Vera Farmiga (The Departed), David Thewlis (Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix), Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon.

Plot:

Nazi officer Ralf (David Thewlis) and his wife Elsa (Vera Farmiga) have a teenage daughter, Gretel, and an 8-year-old son, Bruno (Asa Butterfield). The well-to-do family must move to the "countryside" when the father is promoted. Unknown to Bruno, the new house is near a Nazi concentration camp, and Ralf is the new commander. Bruno initially dislikes the new house as he always has to stay in the house or the garden; also there are no other children to play with, apart from his sister. From his bedroom window, Bruno spots a barbed wire fence with people in "striped pajamas" behind it. Though he thinks it is a farm, it is the camp with Jews in their camp clothing. Bruno is not allowed to go there, because according to Ralf, Jews are not really people; it is agreed that at least they are a bit weird, as demonstrated in their clothing.

Watched the movie on 28 Feb evening @ The Cathay with Sylvia.

My third Nazi related movie in a month. This time not so much of war, more on children, lonely children. I knew very little about the movie and thus i went to watch with the feeling of thinking it could be another children movie. I was caught by surprise by the "twist".

I only know the Father character played by David Thewlis from the Harry Potter series of movie, who played Remus Lupin. However, the rest of the cast left deep impression especially the 2 little boys. The innocences of the child actually see things differently, thinking the prisoners' outfits as pyjamas. And of course, towards the end when the 2 boys held their hands as friends, the contradiction of war and races became as one.

After watching, I was in my memory bank again. I was once a child who had to play alone too. I was curious about what adults around me did and not telling me what they were up to. It was forbidden for me to ask things I should not ask. And I was lucky I was not born during the war time. I am also glad that there are people around to remind me all the good memories. The movies really brought bits of my childhood memories back to me again.

ah-deng says: 3/5 Unlike those violence war film, this movie is worth a watch from a different perspective.