Thankfully, this was the second time I've seen The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, so I was not hit with a tidal wave of emotion at the end of the film. I will admit, though, that no amount of preparation can keep you from feeling bummed out once the credits roll.
This movie allows the viewer to empathize with characters from all sides of the story in a way not many films can. From the beginning, you're siding with the son of a Nazi officer; while he's just a boy full of innocence, he does make some terrible mistakes (getting Shmuel beaten for eating food in the house). You even learn to understand that young, cruel soldier before he's sent to the front line; he acts so outwardly anti-Semitic to make up for his father's disliking the Nazi regime.
The music in the film is also fantastic. The classical score just carries you through the plot rather gently, until the ending climax, where the composer throws everything he's got at you. The one, shrieking sustained note that's held as Bruno and Shmuel meet their fates is absolutely bone chilling, and will never fail to move me. I firmly believe that without that perfectly created piece of music, the scene would not have been as powerful as it was.
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