THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS

Based on the Young Adult novel by John Boyne, this story takes its power from the idea that you don’t know what is going on until it’s right before your eyes. Told from the perspective of a German boy in WWII, it’s about a family uprooted from Berlin and taken to a new home in the country, where his father has an important job to do. Bruno is lonely until one day he sneaks out and visits a nearby ‘farm’, where he meets a boy wearing strange striped pyjamas. We know what’s going on, but Bruno doesn’t, and it’s the tug of war between his innocence and our experience that makes the story work. The film lacks some of the element of surprise, but makes up for it with brilliantly controlled performances, and a conclusion that is truly devastating. Highly Recommended.