The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Year | 2008 |
Starring | Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga |
Director(s) | Mark Herman |
Rating | PG-13 |
Genre(s) | Drama, Thriller, War |
Runtime | 94 min |
Eight year-old Bruno is the sheltered son of a Nazi officer whose promotion takes the family from their comfortable home in Berlin to a desolate area where the lonely boy finds nothing to do and no-one to play with. Crushed by boredom and compelled by curiosity, Bruno ignores his mother’s repeated instructions not to explore the back garden and heads for the ‘farm’ he has seen in the near distance.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas played at the 2008 Heartland Film Festival in the Opening Night Event.
Sample F.I.L.M. Curriculum Questions:
Does Bruno and Gretel’s tutor take advantage of the children’s innocence in what he teaches them? How? What were these ideas?
Although the story takes place during a tragic time in history, there are moments of humor in the story. One occurs when Bruno tells Pavel that he could not be a very good doctor because he had to “practice” it. How does this example and others in the movie demonstrate Bruno’s naïveté? Can you give other examples from the movie of misinterpretation as a result of innocence? What about in your own life?