A haunting wartime drama where childhood innocence clashes with the shadow of the Holocaust. Through a barbed-wire fence, a forbidden friendship blooms, eventually dissolving into the gray smoke of human cruelty.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
"Lines may divide us, but hope will unite us."
Director:
Mark Herman
Cast:
Asa Butterfield, Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, Jack Scanlon, Amber Beattie
Drama
War
History
Budget:
$12,500,000
Box Office:
$20,416,563
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
The 'Airplane' Motif
In the opening scene, Bruno and his friends run through Berlin mimicking planes. This visualizes their innocent play, but it also references the bombing raids that would eventually destroy German cities, including the raid that kills Bruno's grandmother later in the film.
The Basement Dolls
The way the dolls are piled in the basement is a deliberate reference to the hair and belongings collected from victims at Auschwitz, a chilling detail for viewers familiar with Holocaust museum imagery.