When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel's fate as a Jewish prisoner or the role his own Nazi father plays in his imprisonment, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the camp's walls.
Asa Butterfield
Bruno
Vera Farmiga
Mother
David Thewlis
Father
Jack Scanlon
Shmuel
Amber Beattie
Gretel
Rupert Friend
Lieutenant Kotler
David Hayman
Pavel
Sheila Hancock
Grandma
Richard Johnson
Grandpa
Cara Horgan
Maria
Jim Norton
Herr Liszt
Zac Mattoon O'Brien
Leon
Domonkos Németh
Martin
Henry Kingsmill
Karl
Zsuzsa Holl
Berlin Cook
László Áron
Lars
Charlie Baker
Palm Court Singer
Iván Verebély
Meinberg
Béla Fesztbaum
Schultz
Attila Egyed
Heinz
László Nádasi
Isaak
László Quitt
Kapo 1
Mihály Szabados
Kapo 2
Zsolt Sáfár Kovács
Kapo 3 Sonderkommando
Gábor Harsai
Elderly Jewish Man
Julia Papp
Dancer (uncredited)
Director, Screenplay
Mark Herman
Novel
John Boyne
June 11, 2024
8
Not convinced this is a greatly made movie, but it sure does pack a punch!
<em>'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'</em> makes for good viewing for the majority, though that ending really is quite something - startling in fact, and that's even with me sensing it. The aforementioned is because, as well as the way the film builds in general, I'm pretty certain I watched this at high school; just not sure if it was snippets or the whole thing, the fence scenes are the only ones I vaguely recall seeing.
The low acting level of the youngsters did take me out a bit, no dislike to Asa Butterfield and Jack Scanlon, obviously, but they aren't the best. Though they aren't helped by the dialogue for them, which doesn't feel natural at all. It's written in a way that is simply to tell the viewer about what's happening. The adult actors are great, though. Vera Farmiga stands out, though David Thewlis, Rupert Friend and David Hayman merit a mention too.
All in all, it's a good film - and one that is distressingly unforgettable thanks to that one moment.