This film is vesting a whole lot in the concept of the purity of the child's soul. The opening title card alone displays a quote by John Betjeman, and it reads, "Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows." That's all well and good, but honestly it's a theory I never really stood behind myself. Have you ever met a kid? Have you ever witnessed the unabashed joy that comes over a kid's face as he's, I don't know, burning a line of ants to death with a magnifying glass? A lot of these so called pure beings are nothing more than tiny little sociopaths who have yet to learn the rules of society. And humanity, for that matter.
But hell, this movie won me over. It's kind of like a slightly tweaked, slightly more relevant version of Au Revoir les Enfants. This World War II story, too, is revealed to us through the eyes of an unbiased child who doesn't quite understand the details behind what is going on around him. Bruno (Asa Butterfield), the child in question, doesn't seem to have even a vague understanding of what his father does as a soldier as his parents, played by David Thewlis and Vera Farmiga, take great care to shield him from the, er, unpalatable truth of what really goes on when daddy's at work. Herman's direction is absolutely on point in this respect, as he meticulously reveals little by little so as to put the viewer directly in Bruno's shoes so if one were to view the film with no prior knowledge of the history of World War II, they would be just as naïve and confused as Bruno himself. When Bruno's father is promoted to a higher rank, the family moves to a house that happens to be located next to a concentration camp (it's never referenced directly, but it is implied that the camp is actually Auschwitz). While exploring the grounds, Bruno meets the titular boy Shmuel, and the two strike up a friendship, as kids are wont to do.
Now, Holocaust movies can be tricky because there's always the issue of slipping into melodrama, or worse, cartoonish slapstick that makes dangerously light of the subject (read: Life is Beautiful, which I myself have very mixed feelings about.) The reason The Boy in the Striped Pajamas works is because it lacks heavy-handedness; its beauty is in the small, poignant details. When Bruno asks his father about the source of the awful smell coming from the "chimneys" of the "farm" by their house, he replies, "I think they just burn rubbish there sometimes." When Farmiga's character learns of the true nature of her husband's work, her reaction is absolutely heartbreaking, and the mere revelation that she had been unaware of these proceedings up until that point is convincingly shocking. David Hayman's performance alone, as the servant, is entirely heart wrenching to watch; Bruno's increasing wariness of his domineering father is both understated and affecting.
The film is shot in a saturated, sepia tone to give it that whole this-stuff-happened-a-while-ago look, but it actually works well within the context. The cinematography is incredibly picturesque and the soundtrack suits the scenes perfectly; Herman's direction is absolutely seamless, as he transitions from scene to scene with a graceful, unaffected continuity.
The ending, which I won't reveal here, is quite frankly one of the saddest that I've seen in years. Bruno's childish determination and sincere affection for his friend is tragic in its futility, especially from an outsider's perspective. So, yeah, kids may be bastards. But movie kids are a whole different story.
DVD Bonus Features
Extras include an optional audio commentary by writer/director Mark Herman and author John Boyne for both the main feature and some deleted scenes; I'd only recommend watching these scenes and listening to the commentaries after you've seen the film in its entirety as they sometimes lack a certain subtlety, and other times are redundant in their exposition. There is also a featurette entitled "Friendship Beyond the Fence," which provides some interesting insight into the making of the film, as well as some of the underlying themes that may not be immediately obvious to the viewer (I especially liked the bit about making the topic comprehensible to children, which I can certainly see).
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is on sale March 10, 2009 and is rated PG13. Drama. Directed by Mark Herman. Written by Mark Herman (screenplay), John Boyne (novel). Starring Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, Vera Farmiga.
