THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS — *** — Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga; rated PG-13 (violence, slurs, drugs, nude art)
There's no way possible for "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" to end well. Its subject matter demands that there must be a certain element of tragedy to the story.
Still, it is upsetting to see a film that appears to be — at the start at least — about childhood and innocence end the way this drama does. So to some audiences, it may come across as being manipulative, even shocking.
But to do otherwise — to end things on an upbeat note — would be even more manipulative and false. And besides, its conclusion is more in keeping with that of its source material, the well-regarded novel by John Boyne.
This fictional tale is set in Nazi Germany during World War II and examines Holocaust horrors from the perspective of Bruno (Asa Butterfield), a young boy who adores his father (David Thewlis).
Bruno's family has been moved recently from Berlin to the countryside, so his Nazi commandant father can oversee a nearby concentration camp. (More likely than not, the camp is the infamous Auschwitz.)
The inquisitive Bruno is bored without his friends and, without no other families or children to play with, he tries to befriend his father's officers — to no avail.
So Bruno then sneaks out of the house and wanders into the surrounding woods. That's where he encounters another young boy, Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), who appears to be wearing pajamas.
Bruno can't understand why his new friend is behind an electrified, barbed-wire fence, which prevents him from leaving what he's been led to believe is a "work camp."
This a real change of pace for screenwriter/director Mark Herman, whose works to date have included comedies such as "Little Voice" and "Hope Springs."
But this is an assured work, and he gets fine performances from his cast. Relative newcomer Butterfield is very good as the wide-eyed youngster, and Vera Farmiga ("The Departed") continues to impress. She plays Bruno's clearly rattled mother.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is rated PG-13 and features strong and disturbing violent imagery based on the Holocaust (beatings, shootings and mass killings, some of it implied or overheard), derogatory slurs and language based on ethnicity and religious beliefs, drug content and references (toxic chemicals), and glimpses of nude art (statues). Running time: 93 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com