The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: An Essay

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas: Underground Movie Review

One of our college professors once said that history’s importance roots in its ability for us to see our mistakes and never to do them again and so we are staunch supporters of films depicting World War II and the acts of inhumanity. One of these films that caught our eyes is “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” which was released mid 2008 and based on the bestseller book by John Boyne. Read on to find out if this film can hold true on its historical accuracy and significance.

The film is centered on a German family and their son named Bruno (Asa Butterfield). Bruno’s father Ralf (David Thewlis) has just been promoted to a new post in the countryside. This countryside in fact houses a Nazi concentration camp and Ralf is in fact the head officer that will run it. When they move, Bruno sees “farmers” from a distance wearing striped pyjamas all day long. Out of curiosity, Bruno wanders around the woods to go near the “farmer’s village” even though he was forbidden by his parents. When he arrives at the village, he meets a boy named Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) and they start becoming the best of friends.

The film indeed is surprisingly a very touching film. The story was really different from what we expected it to be. It kind of breaks the stereotypes we have of how people were during World War II especially the Germans. Most films would portray them as supporters of Hitler’s actions but in this film, this was taken into a different light - not all are supporters of the atrocities. Some might be turned off though by the very slow pace and the ending that was kind of predictable. Quibbles aside, we can say that “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” will leave you thinking deep.

Rating: 4 reels

Why you should watch it:

- A touching film with a nice