The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

PG-13

2008

1h 34m

Drama

History

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Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

144 Reviews

84%

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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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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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Wendy Ide

The 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Bronson K.

Wonderful film, this film is great though the end can be very sad.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/03/25

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L S

Absolute low level tripe. Not one bit fo this film is any good. From the acting, the atrociously written script to the woefully underdeveloped story. It was a painful watch, for all the wrong reasons.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/06/25

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Reese R

This is unlike any other holocaust film I’ve ever seen. Very unique story and realistic in spite of being fiction. I was crying at the end with a fresh reminder of how sadistic the gas chambers were and that so many Jewish people were murdered in them.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/27/25

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Makenzie G.

amazing story, obviously sad, and i love how it was portrayed through a child pov, showing how children see things so differently and innocently

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/18/25

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Ryland C

This movie was straight up depressing! I get it’s a film set during World War 2, but they DID NOT need to go too far with the whole “slave” drama happening and it has such an awful ending. Literally the first 10 minutes of this movie was the one thing I enjoyed in it. Charming movie about two friends my asshole! This is a 1/10.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/23/25

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Francesca E

This movie was seriously depressing. I cried my heart out at the ending, despite what other reviews say, this is not a "warm and touching film." This film showcases only a fraction of World War 2, and that's just from me. I don't recommend watching this movie with kids. :( I would not watch this movie again.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/28/25

Full Review

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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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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, BBC Films, Miramax 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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