The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Response

I waited a week to write this response because I would have been too emotional right after watching the film. Even though this was a scripted piece it was brutally honest about concentration camps and WWII. Where most documentaries show the surface of what happened in concentration camps, this film made it a more personal experience. What bothered me the most about this film was the fact that children were involved. Even though I knew children were kept in concentration camps, it was never something I thought about at great length. This is likely because it adds to the morbidity of what happened during that time in history. To see a concentration camp through the eyes of a child is very difficult. The innocence that Bruno had was consistent throughout the film. Even when he was being told how horrible Jews were, he was confused about how that could be true. It was easy to see that this was the first time he had experienced hate and prejudice.
For me the end of the film was the most difficult part to watch. I felt this way not only because of the sickening situation, but because Bruno died as a child while Shmule had been forced into a sham version of adulthood. To recognize that difference between the two characters was sad. Bruno died believing there was good in he world while Shmule had been through so much, there was no way for him to have that comfort. They were both children, but only one of them had the gift of ignorance. I hope I never have to watch this film again. It showed the reality of the situation, but that doesn't make it easier to watch.