About the film--the Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Last Friday, my friend recommended me a film of WWII subject, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which is a great film about people’s tragedy life in wartime. Different from other film with similar subject, its emphasis is on the dramatic change of life in a family with Teutonic ethnicity during the holocaust of European Jews by Germany Nazi in 1940’s. Although the story is told from a wartime friendship and experience of two children Bruno and Shmuel--one is a privileged son of Nazi family; the other, an “evil” Jewish boy in striped pajamas, the film also presents the subtle but dramatic conflicts and suffering within the Nazi family.
Their friendship is simple but special. They are friends separated on different sides of barbed wire fence. Their childhood belong to two totally different categories. When Bruno decides to do something adventurous to draw a meaningful period to their friendship before he leaves the countryside, nobody realizes, except audience sitting in front of the screen, that something horrible will happen eventually. Bruno’s commitment to his dear friend and his innocent brave lead him toward the edge of cliff. When undressed Bruno and Shmuel with other prisoner in the camp are herded into the crowd and dark gas chamber, it is really cruel and breathtaking for film watchers. Everyone in front of the screen knows what is waiting for the two boys. We know why Bruno is here. We know how fearsome and terrified these two little boys are. We also know how their precious friendship will end in. I was really moved and totally heartbroken when they hold their hands tightly together in the darkness; however, I was somehow released because, at least, they are not lonely at the very end of their life. They are lucky because they have the strongest belief of their pure friendship even at the last minute of their life. Therefore, Bruno and Shmuel might not be the most woeful victims of the war, instead, Bruno’s families are.
At the end, rain is falling heavily. Thunder and lighting are shifting. The elegant mother is screaming outside of the barbed-wire fence with her dear son’s clothes. Father is standing numbly in front of the gas chamber building. Who should be responsible for the distressing ending? It might the two boys’ innocent friendship and Bruno’s naïve and imprudent impishness. However, if there is no war, no Nazi, no holocaust, these two lovely boy will not end their life in the gas chamber and no parent will suffer the panic of losing their kids. It is undoubted that Bruno and his friend are one of the most pitiful victims in the war, as well his privileged Germany family.
There is a Chinese saying, “evil behavior eventually affects all those involved, including the perpetrators.” After the end of WWII, the president of Germany kneed down in front of the Monument of Jews. However, victims of the genocide by Nazi Germany are not only the 6 million Jews killed during the war, but the Germany people as well. Both of them was suffering huge physical and mental panic.
The catastrophic WWII seems to have been a history years away from us, but in fact, we are still living in a world surrounded by military conflicts and wars—Iraq War, Darfur-Sudan War/Genocide, India-Pakistan military conflicts and so on. Looking forward to the future, rarer natural resources and increasing populace in our planet will inevitable generate more conflicts, but no matter what excuse is used to launch a war, war is evil and people being passively involved in are the most woeful sacrifice.
Wish all the stupid wars vanish someday. Even though it is just a wish.