Mandwa to screen ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’ on 11th

Islamabad

Lok Virsa Mandwa Film Club screening 2008 American-British coproduction ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’ on Saturday (February 11) at 3 p.m.

Based on novel by Irish writer John Boyne, the film takes us back to atrocities of World War II. The events are narrated by eleven-year-old boy whose heartless father is a German officer at the concentration camp and a loyalist Nazi. His son bored with doing nothing, cements friendship with Jewish boy (obviously from the concentration camp) ending up with tragic events.

Directed by Mark Herman, the film was made with a modest budget of $12.5 million and made over $45 million. The events are based on the tragedy of Holocaust. The novel had sold over five million copies and was rated number one on New York Times bestseller list. The film received both good reviews and some criticism.

For some it is pure melodrama where emotions of the audiences have been exploited. For others, the film brings innocence and brutality working at the same time. The upper class Germans are juxtaposed against harsh life in the concentration camp where death is waiting for everyone.

The stupidity and blind loyalty of German officer turns into relief of helpless child and this then becomes the main strength of the film. The novel has been transformed for screen with solid power and conviction full of dark ironies. This is a fresh look at what we have seen before on screen. The young boys are forced into a world of which they have no knowledge or understanding. The performance by young actors is convincing. The film carries smooth production values and technical effects, including the  effective musical score. The film runs for 106 minutes.

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