Friday
14Nov2008
Movie Review - 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas'
Friday, November 14, 2008 at 12:27AM | The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Starring Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, and Vera Farmiga  |
All week, I've been going around describing
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as manipulative,
as if it's a bad thing. In reality, all movies - especially the good ones - are
manipulative. That's the point. But there is a negative connotation that
accompanies the word, and certainly, there are manipulative movies that get
there on the cheap, showing scene after scene of questionable content until you
can't help but have a big reaction. And The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is
not one of those in spite of having such an emotional story.It is clearly evocative, since it takes place in Germany during World War II. Holocaust movies always get a reaction, and how could they not? But none of that diminishes this film nor the touching friendship at its heart nor the very good performances from its principal cast. So if it doesn't manipulate you in some way, then you're the one with the problem, not the film.
We see this world through the eyes of eight-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), whose father (David Thewlis) is a German soldier. The family lives comfortably in Berlin, and Bruno doesn't pay much attention to the groups of people being rounded up in his city's streets. Then his father receives a promotion, and the family moves to the country. From the window in his new bedroom, Bruno can see a farm in the distance. He tells his mother (Vera Farmiga) stories of strange-looking farmers wearing striped pajamas.
We understand things the unencumbered boy does not, although maybe "understand" is inaccurate. We recognize these things, but we don't condone them. Soon enough, Bruno meets a "farmer" his same age, a boy named Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) who only knows he's living behind electric barbed wire because he's Jewish. He is as unaware of the nature of his situation as Bruno is. But they find common ground, and it's the real strength of the film.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is written and directed by Mark Herman, based on John Boyne's novel. It will get to you, without a doubt. Thewlis plays a more complicated Nazi soldier than we're used to; he actually seems like a pretty good father and countryman part of the time. I thought that both Hayman and Scanlon showed a great deal of depth and restraint that made their characters more believable. But young Asa Butterfield, innocent and curious, gazing at an incomprehensible world with gigantic blue eyes that fail to see the evil in people, really affects us. You alternately hope that the child doesn’t know the real story and never forgets it.
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in Reviews | Print Article | Email Article | Post a Comment | Share Article
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