The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Based on the novel by John Boyne, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a wrenching Holocaust story about a young German boy and his forbidden friendship with a Jewish child.

PLOT: Eight year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is the sheltered son of a Nazi officer (David Thewlis) whose promotion takes the family from their comfortable home in Berlin to a desolate area where the lonely boy finds nothing to do and no-one to play with. Crushed by boredom and compelled by curiosity, Bruno ignores his mother’s (Vera Farmiga) repeated instructions not to explore the back garden and heads for the ‘farm’ he has seen in the near distance. There he meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a boy his own age who lives a parallel, alien existence on the other side of a barbed wire fence. Bruno's encounter with the boy in the striped pyjamas leads him from innocence to a dawning awareness of the adult world around them as his meetings with Shmuel develop into a friendship with devastating consequences. Farmiga and Thewlis put in excellent performances, while Scanlon and Butterfield, are equally impressive, doing a fine job of carrying the weight of such a heavy film. The BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a deeply moving and--it must be said--disturbing movie. But it is a remarkable story, told with masterly intelligence and grace

Book Rating:

A powerful story - not a history lesson



Movie Rating:

A harrowing, unforgettable film. I highly recommend it.


Won

1. British Independent Film Award: Best Actress - Vera Farmiga
2. Chicago International Film Festival: Audience Choice Award - Mark Herman
3. Premio Goya: Best European Film

Nominated for British Independent Film Award:

1. Best Director - Mark Herman
2. Most Promising Newcomer - Asa Butterfield