The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

I had heard a lot about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas when it was out in theaters but I had no idea what it was about. When I finally got around to watching it on On Demand did I get a clue because of the blurb on the selection screen. Little did I know that the movie would actually make a Nazi concentration camp officer seem like a sympathetic character or would seem sympathetic to someone who doesn't hate Germans.

The story focuses on a family that moves for the father's work. Sounds like the plot of Cheaper by the Dozen doesn't it? Well it's not, because the father is a Nazi soldier and he's been stationed to run a concentration camp. The family moves next door to the concentration camp (it's actually about a 1/4 mile away). The youngest boy eventually finds his way over to the concentration camp and meets the ugliest kid I've ever seen on screen. The kid was so jarringly ugly that I had trouble following the story but apparently the two kids, one, the son of a German officer, the other, a Jew destined to die in the gas chamber, become friends. The German kid was completely oblivious to his newfound friend's plight. While I'd love to hate on the kid and call him a clueless German, it was kind of nice that he had that innocence. The German kid did show his Germanness at one point when he blamed something on the ugly kid getting him in trouble with one of the German guards.

To make up for his transgression of throwing the Jew kid under the bus the German kid apologizes profusely and decides to try to help find the Jewish kid's dad...inside the concentration camp. Even as you're watching the movie you can't believe how badly this decision will work out for both boys. And that is kind of the genius of the movie. We're just not conditioned as humans to put up with watching children die, especially as a parent. But as far as punishing the father/German soldier, the death of a son is nice. And that is what causes my inner turmoil because I did feel for the father (and the mother, who was quite wretched in her own regard) even though I felt he was a worthless human being. And I also felt worse for the German boy who died than I did for the hundred of Jews who died in the gas chamber with the boys. What the fuck is up with that?

As far as entertainment value The Boy in the Striped Pajamas hits the mark, though it kind of drags in places and isn't the most exciting movie in the world. But, I don't know of many movies that get in your head quite like this one does. I watched it about a month ago and I still think of it every time I think about something German which thankfully isn't too often.