Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.And here's the review...
Hey there from the UK. I was lucky enough to attend the first public screening of Mark Herman’s adaptation of John Boyne’s “The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas” (the Yorkshire premier a week before the actual premier). First of all I’m going t o try and keep this spoiler free if I can but still be aware that I will reference things, the best way to view this film is totally cold (having read the book I knew what was in store for me). Right, first of all this is a great film, Hermans best by a long shot. It is in my opinion better than the book, it fleshes out the story and the characters whilst never shying away from the holocaust theme. Now if you haven’t read the book then you should know that this is a film about the holocaust, it is a film about an 8 year old German boy called Bruno (the brilliant newcomer Asa Butterfield) who’s father is the commandant of an unnamed concentration camp. The story follows Bruno as he slowly begins to discover what really goes on in the camp (his family tries to protect him from the horror of what is happening) and his blossoming friendship with a Jewish boy, Shmuel (the “boy” of the title). It is not a nice film, it isn’t like the marketing would have you believe anything to do with hope. This is a film that has hopelessness running through it constantly. The 12 year old sister of Bruno slowly becomes a perfect little Nazi (swapping dolls for swastika covered posters and other Nazi propaganda), his father adamantly believes that burning Jews is for the good of the war (one disturbing scene has him explaining how they can increase “productivity” by building new gas chambers) whilst his mother slowly falls into depression as she fights in vain to save her family (morally). Technically the film is excellent, the photography is stunning, the period detail uniformly excellent (ahem..) and the score by James Horner is probably his best yet. Where the film really excelsis the acting, the two young boys (Bruno and Shmuel) are excellent, Bruno in particular. The parents however (played by Vera Farmiga and David Thewlis) and a young officer (Rupert Friend) really shine. Farmiga’s mother is our mature viewpoint; she knows what is going on and though she doesn’t agree with it she balances her family against her morals throughout, she knows that her children shouldn’t grow up near where such horrors are but she also wants to keep a strong family unit. Farmiga is here quite brilliant, she looks like she just walked off a 40’s movie set, she evokes a sensuous, classical feeling of beauty similar to a Hepburn or Bergman whilst giving a performance that I think is oscar worthy (she definitely deserves a nomination at least), she is a woman trapped under a regime she doesn’t believe in but loves a man so caught up in it he is beyond help. You feel sorry for her, the little nuances of her character, you believe her emotions, her depressions, she is arguably the best actor in the film. Thewlis is more by the numbers, he executes the role perfectly but it is only I the final five minutes that he really seems to let go (though the repressive character he is playing doesn’t allow for the real oscar baiting acting that Farmiga is fortuned with). Friend is my personal favourite though, he is a venomous, destructive, hateful but yet conflicted person. He kills Jews, he beats up a child, he smiles as black smoke pours from the camp’s chimneys and yet in one powerful scene you feel sorry for him, you really empathize with him, which I believe is a success of his acting prowess. But if you read the book there's only one thing you want to know, is the ending the same? And the answer is no, its better. Where the book slowly let the boys “discover” what is happening here we see real horror, there is real confusion, real suspense in knowing what will happen but still willing it now to. Herman really pulls no punches with the ending. Though I will not reveal the ending any more than what I have said I will say that the audience I was with stayed silent for a long time after the credits began rolling, no applause, no whispering, just shocked silence. This is an ending that will stay with you for a long time, it will be talked about for years to come, it’s the head in the box, it’s Bruce Willis being a ghost, it’s the devil convincing the world he didn’t exist. This is what people will talk about in hushed tones at dinner parties the world over, really it is a moment of real power, a gut punch that really knocks you for six. You will sit in disbelief at what is happening, but it happens. Now I really can’t heap on the praise enough. I do not know how big a release this is getting in the US but I would recommend seeking it out, really this is a film that should be seen. Take your children but be warned that they wont enjoy it, it will help show what happened but it does not dance around the subject, it is a film about kids, not for kids. If you use this call me BridBoyRoss (shamless plug; search me on www.youtube.com/bridboyross , check out my Manhunt films).
