Wednesday 17 June 2009

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (2008) 8/10

Starring : Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, David Hayman, Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon
Director : Mark Herman
Running Time : 91 mins

When his German father (Thewlis) gets promoted to be in charge of a concentration camp, young Bruno (Butterfield) wonders who all the farmers in pyjamas might be. As he starts to explore his new home, he journeys over to the camp and makes friends with Shmuel (Scanlon), one of the Jewish children imprisoned there, but then finds himself becoming confused when he is told that the Jews are his enemy and are evil.

Bruno's innocence is the key to this movie, and it makes for incredibly sad viewing. His lack of knowledge concerning what his father precisely does for a living makes this a movie that is both heart warming and devastating. Using this different angle on the idea of what life in a concentration camp may have been like is brave, and shows just how badly things can go when parents try to protect their children from the truth.

You’ll like this if you liked : Rabbit-Proof Fence

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