The Boy In the Striped Pajamas Review

"Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows.” That’s the first line in this movie. And think if you were a boy, and grew up in the holocaust. When I was in sixth grade, my teacher had us read the boy in the striped pajamas. Yes, while the other kids read the Lightning Thief (a book I’d later read, and helped me becoming a writer) my class read the book about the kid in the holocaust. Then we all watched the movie, and it’s pretty damn good. And as far as movie adaptations go, this is one of the best goes. It’s not the novel, but it’s the film version of the novel. Everything good about the book was used, and parts not as good were replaced, and it covered everything. That’s how film adaptations should be. And from what I heard this movie is pretty well received, but I find that surprising since I expected most wouldn’t like it because I kind of feel you’d have to read the book to really appreciate it. Anyway the movie is about a boy named Bruno, and his dad is a high class Nazi in a big situation where he must move his family over to a house next to nearby concentration camp to basically be the overseer. I’m pretty sure that’s what he does anyway. But that’s the thing, like the book, you almost see the movie through Bruno’s perspective. You feel the pressure as people tell Bruno this backwards way of life, where Jews are evil, and not people at all. But before that happens, Bruno meets his friend Shmuel, a Jew in the concentration camp. Yes, Bruno nonchalantly walks up to the fence up a concentration camp, and he now has a friend. And that is the real picture painted. Two friends, on two different sides of a fence. That fence means everything, and nothing at the same time. Through the movie there is a lot of little arcs, and little information. And in movie form I’m surprised it works. And seeing Bruno in these situations where he doesn’t really think much of something, when something really big actually happened, it really gets to you. I’ll give an example. At one part Bruno falls off of this swing. The only other person around is one of the Jew house workers. Now, if he touches Bruno, he’s fucked. But if he just let’s Bruno sit there, he’s fucked. But the guy’s a former doctor, and he helps Bruno up, and heals his wound, and has a really good conversation with him. And little Bruno had no wonder at what he just started. But luckily the guy got off  free… for now. Carrying on! Also I’d like to talk about the acting. The kid who plays Bruno, he did fantastic. I think this was his first movie, and he didn’t look at all like he was. I was so invested into his character he wasn’t even a child actor in my brain anymore, he was way gone and he was just Bruno, the kid who played him didn’t exist when he walked off set. Most child actors you hate, and also Shmuel does a pretty good job as well. In fact, everyone does good, and nobody really messes up. And this is one of those movies that are getting points just for making you think, and plucking at those emotional scenes. It’s dramatic tragedy, and is frankly one of the most grabbing endings that stick with you. I do believe the book did grab that ending a little tiny bit better, but considering it’s in firs-person, and the movie isn’t so much about Bruno, the newer ending with additional footage that was kind of grabbing extra stuff is still very welcome as it is sad. So ladies and guys who are nicknaming them "man tears,” get ready to get some tissues. But another thing the movie captures is a lot similar to the quote in the beginning of this review. A childhood is based off of sounds and noises and pictures. Things we can’t really understand. And this whole movie almost feels like one big memory that old Bruno is remembering, and is now making sense of. There are so many references to dark things, things he just doesn’t get. But rarely does it get super dark and Nazi evil, for the most part it feels what I consider realistic. We remember the holocaust as this dark evil place, but in reality lots of normal things happened, there was just a big evil thing going on in the back of their brains, or under their nose. But occasionally there will be that guy, that one really racist dick or another (the teacher and others) who just say something that’s really offensive. So it is emotional, and it is a good movie. And this movie I will remember as the movie I watched in my childhood that had linked with the book. I can’t not remember it without thinking of the book and my old class, it’s impossible. But movies are suppose to do that, they bring parts of our lives into them. And the boy in the striped pajamas is one of those movies that have a special place fore me.

Badges

The Boy In the Striped Pajamas gets THE CHARACTER BADGE

The Boy In the Striped Pajamas gets THE "CREATIVITY" BADGE