The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

I absolutely adored this film– so much so, in fact, that I went to see it twice in one week!

I had been apprehensive about a film adaptation of John Boyne’s wonderful book, as much of the charm (and simultaneous shock value) of the novel lies in it’s narration by an 8 year old boy and his interpretation of the events which surround him in Nazi Germany during WWII. Mark Hermon’s direction, however, is very in keeping with the style of Boyne’s book, while at the same time using the power of the visual image to its full effect. This can be seen throughout the film, such as the repeated imagery of the black smoke curling into the sky as the furnaces are lit in the Auswitch concentration camp where Bruno’s father is a soldier.

Hermon also fleshed out the characters in this filmic adaptation, especially that of Bruno’s mother, who becomes a more sympathetic figure in this portrayal.

The only place where I feel this film falls done is in the key relationship of the story, that of the friendship between Bruno and Schmuel, the young boy trapped in the concentration camp whom Bruno befriends. The selfishness of childhood is apparent as Bruno gobbles chocolate without thinking of his starving companion, but the bond that the boys share across all boundaries is not imparted to the audience.

The ending, however, is where the visual medium is used to it’s full advantage, and while purists might argue that it is different to the book, I believe it suits the adaptation very well, and the closing images will stay with the viewer long after they leave the cinema.