Every now and then, someone really surprises you. Mark Herman, the director and screenwriter of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is that person. There is nothing in Herman’s resume which would make you believe that he was ready for this film. He is a hyphenated person; a writer-director. He made a couple of short films about 20 years ago. He delivered a couple of forgettable films after that. Then he gave us a couple of competent but lightweight films. The last one of those was five years ago. Then he disappeared and wrote this amazing adaptation of John Boyne’s novel.

Bruno, played by Asa Butterfield, is the 8-year-old son of a high ranking German officer during the Second World War. His father, played by David Thewlis, is given an assignment which causes them to move from Berlin to a place out in the country. This new command is a Jewish concentration camp. Of course, little Bruno doesn’t know this. He thinks it’s a farm where all the people wear striped pyjamas. His mother, played by Vera Farmiga, doesn’t want the adventurous boy to discover the “farm” and so she insists he stay in the front yard. Soon bored due to an absence of friends, he sets out to explore. He chances upon the camp and finds a Jewish boy on the other side of the fence who is hiding from the work detail. The rest of the film involves the tension of these two young people trying to come to grips with their world. The adults, too, suffer for the choices made. The lies they tell themselves and their children begin to affect them as well.

I waited for a day before writing this review because I wanted to see which images stuck with me. To the films credit, there are several and they are located throughout the film. I especially enjoyed the way we are prepared for things in advance without it being heavy handed or giving the game away. Symbolism used in the film is appropriate for the scene. The two boys shake hands through an electric fence. They know that the fence is dangerous. We, the audience, know that the handshake is dangerous.

The film ends on a haunting image. I won’t give the ending away because I truly want you to see it with fresh eyes. This is the best and most moving film I’ve seen in a while. Enjoy it. I did.

My rating: 8 out of 10

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