Why do you wear pajamas?

Through the lens of an eight-year-old boy largely shielded from the reality of World War II, we witness a forbidden friendship that forms between Bruno, the son of Nazi commandant, and Schmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp. Though the two are separated physically by a barbed wire fence, their lives become inescapably intertwined. The imagined story of Bruno and Shmuel sheds light on the brutality, senselessness and devastating consequences of war from an unusual point of view. Together, their tragic journey helps recall the millions of innocent victims of the Holocaust in The Boy In The Striped Pajamas.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a wrenching Holocaust story about a young German boy and his forbidden friendship with a Jewish child. Bruno (Butterfield) is living a charmed life in Berlin as the son of a high-ranking Nazi soldier, when his father (Thewlis) is suddenly transferred to a job out in the country. Bruno, as well as his sister Gretel (Amber Beattie) and mother (Vera Farmiga) must all join him at his new post. Bruno is lonely and confused by his new surroundings, and he doesn't understand why he can't wander the grounds or play at a nearby farm. The "farm," of course, is a concentration camp, though Bruno doesn't know this. He soon sneaks away to explore, and meets Shmuel (Scanlon) a prisoner of the camp. Shmuel is eight, the same age as Bruno, and the two form a timid, careful friendship, playing checkers and catch through the barbed wire fence. Bruno knows that his friendship with Shmuel is dangerous, but after witnessing brutal violence perpetrated against some very kind people, he has begun to question the Nazi doctrine of hate. He is no longer sure what to make of his soldier father, whom he once believed to be a hero. When he learns that Shmuel is in trouble, he vows to help him, and together the boys form an outrageous plan that culminates in the film's devastating climax. Farmiga and Thewlis put in excellent performances, while Scanlon and Butterfield, are equally impressive, doing a fine job of carrying the weight of such a heavy film. The BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a deeply moving and--it must be said--disturbing movie. But it is a remarkable story, told with masterly intelligence and grace. This intriguing wartime tale has an otherworldly quality that draws us into a gentle and increasingly haunting story. From Bruno's point of view, we see the cracks in his father's kind facade and his mother's struggle against the dawning truth. We explore the steely resolve of his father's young assistant (Friend) and how Gretel instantly attaches herself to him. And the prisoners (both Scanlon and Heyman's handyman) are likeable, interesting people, rather than the "evil, dangerous vermin" the Nazis see. That said, the film sometimes abandons Bruno's perspective to give us more traditional movie moments, especially in the heart-stopping final act. And there are a couple of obvious shock-tactics, such as the clouds of black smoke above the trees or a gruesome discovery in the basement. But when Bruno's father says, "We're in a war, we have to do this," the film suddenly sets itself in a much more resonant present that simply shouldn't be ignored. Unquestionably one of the saddest movies ever made, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas left me profoundly shaken. Since it is a child’s view of monstrous world events framed by the open-hearted perspective of innocence and vulnerability, it seems oversimplified at times. But that is its charm. And it is beautifully served by an exemplary cast. Mr. Thewlis is oiled and shiny as the spit-and-polish commandant whose duty overwhelms his life until his humanity as a father is discovered too late. Ms. Farmiga as the helpless mother caught up in the festering menace of lethal times is marvelous. Richard Johnson and Sheila Hancock are perfect as the grandparents who sense the coming terrors too soon and pay a dear price for their wisdom. But it is the two children—blue-eyed Asa Butterfield as Bruno and newcomer Jack Scanlon as the tortured Shmuel—who find the dignity to pare away the poisoned peel and flesh out the heart within. It doesn't provide a feel-good happy ending. It just tells an unforgettable story in very human terms as easy to follow as a textbook for first graders. It would be churlish to complain about so honorable an effort as this, but I think it might have been doubly powerful acted by Germans instead of Brits and Americans. Still, to be honest, that would have been an even harder sell, and I want as many people to see The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as humanly possible. A tragic 4 on my "Go See" scale.