Movies

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
(based on the novel by John Boyne)

I saw this film last Friday and was deeply moved by it. It is the story of a young German boy named Bruno who is required to leave his home and all his friends when his father is promoted as a high ranking official in the German military during WWII. The new home the family moves to is in the "country" and is walking distance from a Nazi concentration camp. Bruno is unaware of what the camp is or what it is for. During one of his times of loneliness, he disobeys his parents and decides to go explore the area surrounding his home. At the back of the camp near the fence he meets a Jewish boy his age named Shmuel. They quickly become friends and Bruno goes to see him everyday. Bruno asks why Shmuel wears striped pajamas and Shmuel replies that the German soldiers took their clothing and made them wear the striped uniforms. Shmuel also tells Bruno how horrible the camp is and that he is always very hungry. Bruno begins to question his father's goodness as a soldier, but is then relieved when he accidentally sees a movie depicting how wonderful the camp is. Throughout the movie you get to see the boys' friendship develop, though they realize they are supposed to be enemies. Bruno still likes Shmuel even during times of confusion when he is getting "brainwashed" with anti-Semitic literature and propaganda from his in-home tutor. The plot thickens as the tension between Bruno's family grows and grows. Bruno's parents are constantly fighting because his mother doesn't agree with the war crimes that are occuring practically in her own back yard, while the father feels it is his duty to serve his country by whatever means it takes. Bruno's sister is fed the same misinformation from the tutor, but unlike Bruno, she sucks it up like a sponge and becomes a radical Nazi like her father.

Okay, I'm going to stop here so I don't give away any more details of the movie, in case you want to watch it. :)

The part about the movie I loved was the innocense of the two young boys. They were told they were enemies, but they didn't understand why. These children could not have understood the complexity of the war, they just wanted to be friends. It makes me believe that hate is a learned concept. The movie doesn't show in great detail the violence and abuse towards the Jews, but it is implied. Anyone who knows about the Holocoust is aware of the horrific tragedy the Jewish people experienced. I've been to the Holocoust museum in New York, I've seen pictures, watched several movies and have read many accounts about the historical event, but it never gets any easier to see and hear things about it. By the end of the movie my stomach was literally heaving. However, I think it is a good film with a great moral and would recommend it to any of you.