I had heard
SO much about this film. I guess you will have figured this out about me right
now; I don’t do films that are “immensely popular”. If I feel a film is
becoming a fad, I do have a certain tendency to steer clear from it. Not
because I don’t trust public opinion, I just… I don’t know, it’s my inner
artist or something “not wanting to follow the crowd” I guess. That’s one
thing. The other thing is, I guess I’m a little wary around holocaust films. I
mean, there are SO many of them. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be a lot, but
the inevitable result of a large number of people crowding around a single
topic is a lot of rather mediocre artwork. I mean , I’m sorry, but it’s true.
Now, it has to be said that The Boy in the Striped Pijamas is not %100
original, in that all the themes it uses we actually have seen before. You
might argue it was done better. But then again, this film takes it and uses it,
adds on and adapts very, very well. And that is what artistry is largely about
is it not? The adaptation and adding is just as important as coming up with an
original story – especially in this world where truly original stories are
becoming tougher and tougher to come by.
The Boy in
the Striped Pijamas is the story of eight year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield, who, it seems, is well on his way to becoming the acing phenomenon of the next generation. I didn't actually recoginse him at first but do the reasearch. He has been around. In a good way). He is the son of a
high ranking SS official. He doesn’t quite understand what that means, but it
seems that his father, along with other soldiers, is working hard to make the
world they live in a better place. And that can’t be a bad thing. Bruno is very
sad when his parents inform him that they will have to move out of Berlin.
Bruno is very sad to leave his friends and his familiar routine behind, but the
countryside soon begins to afford other occupations for him. One thing that piques his interest more than anything
is the “farm” they can see from the top bedroom windows. Some of the “farmers”
who work there come to the house to run errands sometimes. Bruno thinks they’re
a little odd, especially since they seem to wear pyjamas the whole time… His
parents tell him he is strictly not allowed to talk to these people, but kids
will be kids. Bruno strikes up friendship with a little boy his age called
Shmuel. Bruno just wants a good friend to play with, and pass the time. Their
friendship, however, will have consequences far beyond even his active
imaginations wildest imaginings…
Of course
you got the film I was talking about : Life is Beautiful. The classic that
“made” Roberto Begnini. And my goodness, what a classic. It is so important to
return to the innocence and sense of discovery innate in the soul of a child to
take a fresh look at what we’re doing from time to time. Especially in the face
of horror such as the Holocaust, not least because we are all pretty much in
the face of something we have never seen before amazed and horrified. The thing
about Bruno is though, his family do their level best to keep the evil from
him. To prolong his and his sister Gretel’s innocence, they use every single
trick they know but in the end, to no avail.
The film is
touching in so many ways. It shows how the different family members do their
best to cope with what is in effect a very stressful and upsetting situation. I
mean even the father, who is the default “bad guy” by the end of the film can
be understood. I honestly don’t know how I would react in his shoes either to
be fair. But we should keep that discussion for after you have watched the
film. The Boy in the Striped Pijamas is another striking testament to how
miserable war really makes every single one of us. And that no matter how hard
we try to escape it or block it out, it will come crawling through to our
lives. The only way to stop it is to stop war completely, but well… That seems
to be a lesson this planet isn’t quite ready to learn yet…
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