The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Play trailer

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

PG-13

Released Nov 7, 2008

1h 34m

Drama

History

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

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

Micah H

Absolutely devastating.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/25

Full Review

Rihannna H

I heard of it so long ago but just didn’t know where to watch it and I finally watched it today. It was honestly really good but so sad I cried at the end. I recommend!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Mark Herman

Director

David Thewlis

Father

Vera Farmiga

Elsa

Rupert Friend

Lieutenant Kotler

Asa Butterfield

Bruno

Jack Scanlon

Shmuel

The Book Thief

50%

73%

The Book Thief

Watchlist

Miral

19%

54%

Miral

Watchlist

Walking With the Enemy

46%

59%

Walking With the Enemy

Watchlist

The Other Boleyn Girl

43%

62%

The Other Boleyn Girl

Watchlist

Frantz

91%

85%

Frantz

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Frantz

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now