SueAnn Porter

I just finished watching the movie, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.” Although released in 2008, I just got around to it now. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you stop reading now and go watch it.  🙂

Spoiler Alert is in effect.

It’s the story of an eight-year-old boy named Bruno, whose father is a “Herr Kommendant” for the nazis. Bruno is an extremely naive and sheltered boy, and has no idea what his father does for a living. When the family moves to a new house in the country, Bruno makes friends with a boy who lives on the other side of an electric barbed wire fence. This boy, and everyone with him wears “pajamas.”

A tutor comes to the house twice a week to teach Bruno and his sister their lessons. He also teaches them that the Jews are horrible, evil people, responsible for every problem in Germany. Bruno has a difficult time reconciling this information, based on his friendship with the boy in the camp.

Herr Kommendant has a gang of soldiers over to the house one night. They watch a propaganda film about how nice life is inside the camp: there are gardens, games, music, and everything a person could want. Bruno watches through a window, and believes the propaganda. He figures where his friend lives is a nice place and he will join him there.

Meanwhile, Bruno’s Mom is coming to terms with reality. She learns what that black smoke  that rises up from the nearby camp really is . She decides to leave hubby and take the kids. Bruno doesn’t want to leave, because he enjoys his friendship with the boy in the pajamas and doesn’t want to leave him.

On moving day, Bruno makes himself a big sandwich and heads off to the camp to be with his friend. They had agreed the boy would bring an extra set of pajamas for Bruno. Bruno digs under the fence, puts on the pajamas, and joins his friend in the camp.

Of course, this happens to be the day and the occupants of the camp are marched to the ovens.

By the time Bruno’s father figures it out, it’s too late.

Bruno died in the oven, with the others.

The world that Bruno’s father helped create stole his own son.

Sometimes Karma does get you in the end.