The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas: The Verdict

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: The Verdict
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight year old son of the commandant at a concentration camp. This movie was again probably the top 5 of the best movies we have seen all year. It did a brilliant job of representing how gruesome it was for even German families, especially for the kids we are never really told what is going on but instead taught to hate and despise anybody that isn’t Aryan. Since this film is still recent I was expecting it to be good and it did not disappoint, with a stellar cast of known actors like David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, and Asa Butterfield. It got my attention right off the start and kept it going, to a very thriller story.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was very well connected in our
course, even though we never learned anything about the German perspective about everything that was going on around them, this film really gave me a clear understanding of how many German citizens that were not involved in any of this really thinks just like everybody else in the world. The best concept this movie covered is from the list of techniques of Dictatorship, indoctrination evident from Bruno and his sister was the thing that really affirmed everything we have been taught in this course. During the beginning of film before they moved it seemed like Bruno had not yet learned anything of what was going on, to do with the war or the concentration camps. Soon after though his Dad says that they will be home schooled and taught everything that every other child their age is being taught. Whenever the teacher comes to their home to teach Bruno and his sister Gretel, right away it seemed like Gretel grabbed all the things she was being taught and embraced it so quick, especially for having a crush on the much older Nazi soldier. Gretel changed so much over the course of the movie, from being a doll loving regular girl to a very fascist Nazi loving girl. Bruno though had it differently, he was very conflicted throughout the entire film, and after first finding the work camp he has no idea what it is. There is also evidence of more indoctrination where Bruno sees his father and the rest of the German commanders/soldiers watching the video on the work camps for the Jews, and is thought to believe that is a paradise and it feels just like home.
If I was Bruno and there during these times of the World War I don’t think I would be able to do what Bruno did, he was a very brave and courageous boy.
He took even a greater risk of being a good friend to Shmuel with everything he did, like smuggling food from his home to give to him, giving him company, and especially trying to help him find his father. Since they were so innocent that had no idea what the Germans do to all the people, and when they can’t find a person they just think they have gone for a walk or something but have no idea really that they have been killed. Bruno and Shmuel both had to find out the hard way to what happened to everybody, by being killed for just being too curious he was killed. The big strength of this film is that it did an excellent job of really showing how indoctrination was used during these times, and what it really did for children that still really have no idea of what was going on. Not only was it difficult for the people in the work camps, etc it was also very evident it strained very much on families with family members that are soldiers and created many conflicting loyalties for such a character like
Bruno.
So the final verdict is that I loved this film it was a gripping thriller and made me feel sad just like when I saw Titanic, and it did a very excellent job of portraying the lives of German families during these times and how they were strongly affected. This film has a stellar cast, great acting, an amazing plot, and a must watch movie.