Another year, another Holocaust film
Image Courtesy of IMPawards.com
Director: Mark Herman
Notable Cast: Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon
Hollywood seemingly has an unhealthy obsession with the Holocaust. With all of the wealth of real life stories about Jews during World War II, not a year goes by without some absolutely depressing film rehashing the same absolutely depressing point: being a Jew in Nazi Germany wasn’t a pleasant experience. There’s even a rule when it comes to the Oscars: when in doubt, pick the one about the Holocaust. While there are the rare exceptions, Schindler’s List being one of them, most of them trade on mediocre stories with the events of the situation leading them to greater emotional significance than they otherwise would’ve earned. True stories, like the Bielski brothers in Poland, have oft been ignored for underdeveloped and underwhelming stories of the Concentration camps. This fall has another one of them, this one based off a novel of the same name, in The Boy in Striped Pajamas.
Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is the son of a German Commander (Davis Thewlis), who is moving his family to his next assignment. Out in the German countryside, Bruno’s father bring his family out so he can be near his work: running Auschwitz. Bruno can see the camp from his bedroom window and assumes it’s a farm, to the point where he meets a Jewish boy on the inside. His name is Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) and the two form an unlikely friendship leading to an unlikely and excessively depressing finale.
While the film is moving and emotional, it’s not because of the story or the characters or even Mark Herman’s steady hand behind the camera. It’s because of the events of the Holocaust that make it so moving and exceptional as opposed to its story, which moves slowly and meanders for long stretches of time. It also beats its points into the audience with all of the subtleties of a sledgehammer; he has the Holocaust movie handbook ready and executes it step by step every step of the way.
It’s kind of embarrassing to watch in some aspects. You know what’s going to happen and how it’s going to happen before it does actually happen, including the finale, because the film is utterly predictable. Right when the film’s big story moments, Herman uses big orchestral movements to announce that something is going to happen. When it’s boring, no music or scoring. But that’s not the only trick in his bag; in fact, he pulls them all out like he’s a newfound graduate of “Introduction to Holocaust Film-Making 101.”
German soldier enthusiastic about his job? Check. German soldier just claiming he’s doing his job? Check. German voices of dissension? Check. Anti-Semitic slurs, comments, and remarks from “Mein Kampf” used freely? Check. Depressing end that’s designed specifically to make people cry? Check. There’s about a dozen others that are missing from that equation, but to go on and on would be equivalent to beating a dead horse. It’s as if one decided to make a film about a sad story, then threw the Holocaust in just to make sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is nothing more than another teary melodrama which scores points only because of when it takes place, not because of the events happening. In a year where Defiance features a different tale of Jews during World War II for once, this is a film which deliberately panders as opposed to trying to tell a story. Do yourself a favor. Instead of tracking this down in an art-house theatre, wait until Defiance opens. If anything, it’s at least advertised as not being the typical Holocaust film.
