The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a horrific tale with deep beauty, meaning, substance, and humanity. The story follows an upper class German family during the height of World War II. The father is a Nazi officer and his wife is willing to go along with all of this, as long as she does not have to be reminded of what is really happening and her family is safe. When Berlin is being heavily bombed the officer is reassigned to a small town and gladly excepts the assignment to get his family to safety, This small rural town houses a work/concentration camp and the father is to be the lead officer of the camp. The officer also has a young son and a tween daughter. Neither is very happy about the move to the country, away from their very comfortable lives in Berlin. That changes when the son meets a boy his age that lives on a strange farm nearby. He is perplexed by this strange farm, where everyone wears striped pajamas all the time, the farm is fenced in, and no one can leave. The two boys strike up a friendship and they begin to play together, well as best they can through the fence. Do not be fooled by this light description, because this film has a very dark undercurrent that sweeps you in and does not let go. Though it is not terribly graphic, this film saturates your mind and uses what you do know about this period to fill in all the disgusting details of what is really going on in the film. The cinematography is a visual feast, the music a fitting partner, and the sets and costumes perfectly scaled for the production. The entire cast brings this film to life, with characters that are not easy to define or pin down. You know these people; the awfulness, the goodness, the fear, the hope, the love, the tragedy and the horror these people experience feels true and that resonates to the audience in every scene. A film I highly recommend. 5 stars out of 5.
Find out more about the Boy in the Striped Pajamas on IMDb here.
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