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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Play trailer Poster for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas PG-13 Released Nov 7, 2008 1h 34m Drama History Play Trailer Watchlist
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65% Tomatometer 145 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
During World War II, 8-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and his family leave Berlin to take up residence near the concentration camp where his father (David Thewlis) has just become commandant. Unhappy and lonely, he wanders out behind his house one day and finds Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a Jewish boy of his age. Though the barbed-wire fence of the camp separates them, the boys begin a forbidden friendship, oblivious to the real nature of their surroundings.
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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Critics Consensus

A touching and haunting family film that deals with the Holocaust in an arresting and unusual manner, and packs a brutal final punch of a twist.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Times (UK) A child’s-eye view of the Holocaust, this family film is likely to trigger big questions from younger viewers. Nov 4, 2022 Full Review Hank Sartin Time Out [Director] Mark Herman knows how to milk the melodrama from every scene, but viewers may feel a little icky about the experience. Rated: 3/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald We are left in no doubt about the brutality of what's going on there but it's almost entirely off-screen. Still, the film is terribly confronting. Rated: 3.5/5 May 1, 2009 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review [The film] touches on important questions about the costs of human life and the dangers of hatred in a stirring, heart-wrenching tale. Rated: 3/4 Mar 7, 2024 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” asks several powerful questions about war, family, and morality. It also gives us a glimpse into a part of our world’s history that is still hard to look at but should be reckoned with. Rated: 4/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse A valiant attempt to tell a small scale story about an unimaginably huge period in our history, and while it may drag in places, it has its heart in the right place and a devastating ending that will take your breath away. Rated: 3/5 Jan 31, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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tq m This movie is the first that made me cry. The end was very sad and is something that probably gave me PTSD. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/24/25 Full Review Ward H I've got an idea, I'm an imprisoned starving child and my decadently dressed friend with all the food in the world is going to sneak into the prison camp and not me out of it? Everyone knew what was going on, stop white washing history Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/18/25 Full Review CARL H Good film and a different kind of holocaust film. Great cast. Ending was a bit unbelievable. Felt like thy just wanted to end the film and didn't put a lot of effort into the ending. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/14/25 Full Review Shaun M Gives us a glimpse of world war 2 from a child’s view. Interesting 🤔. Leaves us with lots of questions to think about. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/04/25 Full Review Susan A Innocence in Horrible Chaos Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/28/25 Full Review Larry K Insane ending! I don't think anyone was expecting that. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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Cast & Crew

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Mark Herman

Director

David Thewlis

Father

Vera Farmiga

Elsa

Rupert Friend

Lieutenant Kotler

Asa Butterfield

Bruno

Jack Scanlon

Shmuel

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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Movie Info

Synopsis During World War II, 8-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and his family leave Berlin to take up residence near the concentration camp where his father (David Thewlis) has just become commandant. Unhappy and lonely, he wanders out behind his house one day and finds Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a Jewish boy of his age. Though the barbed-wire fence of the camp separates them, the boys begin a forbidden friendship, oblivious to the real nature of their surroundings.
Director
Mark Herman
Producer
David Heyman
Screenwriter
Mark Herman
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Heyday Films, Miramax Films, BBC Films
Rating
PG-13 (Some Mature Thematic Material|Involving the Holocaust)
Genre
Drama, History
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 7, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 15, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$9.0M
Runtime
1h 34m
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