‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’, directed by Mark Herman, is based on the book written by John Boyne, which was influenced by one of the greatest atrocities in human history which was the Holocaust, where millions of people mostly Jews lost their lives. It remains one of the tragic events which reflects the capability of brutality in human beings and the lengths to which we will go for power. It is also one of the most cited examples of ethnic cleansing and genocide. This review focuses on human rights as declared in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and their violation that is portrayed in the movie.
The movie tries encapsulating the horrific event in history through two young boys Bruno and Shmuel. The two boys symbolize the segregation between the Nazis and the Jews, where for one of them has his whole life ahead of him and for the other death is right around the corner. Bruno Hoess, a German boy who has recently moved into a new house with his family, is not happy about the move as he has to leave his friends as well as a sense of familiarity behind. Shmuel, a Jew boy who along with millions of other Jews, is in concentration camp where groups and groups of his people are being treated brutally and ultimately killed.
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One day, Bruno, while bored in his new house roams around outside and finds the electric fence that separates the concentration camp and the ones outside. There on the other side of the fence he meets Shmuel. Over time the boys become friends, their bond being created because both were in a place where they did not want to be. With Bruno at the center, the movie shows the often conflicting and complex thoughts that he has as on the one hand he is being indoctrinated with antisemitic views and Nazi propaganda, but on the other, he looks around him sees that what he is taught is different from what is real (based on his interactions with the Jews in his life, Pavel and Shmuel). Despite the ups and downs in their friendship, Bruno finds himself being increasingly attached to Shmuel even when he has been taught to believe that they are “not supposed to be friends”. In the end, Bruno who had numerous times failed to support or side-by Shmuel, enters the concentration camp to help him find his father. Unfortunately, while they were looking for Shmuel’s father they get gathered by guards and are sent to the gas chamber. The movie ends with Bruno’s family realizing their loss and portrays his death as a horrible tragedy. This allows the audience to sympathize with Bruno’s family and Bruno but it unfortunately takes away from the gruesome reality of the Jews.
The Movie and Human Rights Violations
Based on the rights presented in the UDHR,1948, the movie directly or indirectly has shown the violation of every human right. The actions taken by the Nazis stripped not only the Jews, but also Germans of their rights.
In the movie, the major focus is on Bruno, his family and his life. It is made quite clear from the beginning that Bruno’s family is not aware of what his father’s (Ralf Hoess) job as a Nazi soldier entailed, primarily the children who took pride in the fact that their dad was a soldier and believed he was a good man. Bruno once stated, “Well, he’s (Ralf) the important sort (of soldier). He is in charge of making everything better for everyone”. It is also expressed that the family was not fond of his job, since it kept him away from home and also because he was fighting a war. However, they are not really aware of what ‘war’, he was actually fighting, which when his wife, Elsa, does find out, it makes her devastated by how Ralf could do such horrible things and says, “this isn’t war”, to which Ralf replies, “it’s a vital part of it”. Later in the movie, when they once again have an argument about Ralf’s work where he asks Elsa to ignore it, she says, “Ignore the fact the man I married is a monster”.
Similarly, Ralf’s mother who does not support the Nazi regime is told by her son “airing your views so publicly could land you in trouble, you know that”. Their right to freedom of opinion and expression is violated. This was obviously not only limited to this family but the entire population as they were not allowed to support the Jews or go against Nazi or the Nazi regime. The general people were living in fear which violated their right to liberty and security as well as right to be free from torture or inhumane treatment (from an emotional point of view).
When it comes to Bruno, he misses his home in Berlin and often looks outside from his window to see people at a ‘farm’ as he describes it, who always wear ‘pajamas’. There are many children there, who he assumes have fun playing together and he sees it as a happy place which indicates his unawareness of what was actually happening in the concentration camps. He also questions his father about the people at the farm to which father responds, “Well you see, they are not really people at all”, which shows the view of the Nazi regime towards Jews and this also explains why the Nazis were able to commit the atrocities that they did towards Jews. There are other similar lines in the movie for example, Herr Liszt, Bruno’s tutor, in response to Bruno’s question about their being nice Jews, he sarcastically replies, “if you ever find a nice Jew, you’d be the best explorer in the world”, and Jews are often portrayed as evil and as the enemy
In reality the ‘farm’ was the most horrible of all places to be. People were brought there because they were in the minority and followed a certain religion. They were forced to work for long hours and often beaten for minor mishaps and in the end killed. The way the Jews were treated in the concentration camps violates nearly every single human right. From the concept that everyone is equal and there should be no discrimination when it comes to human rights on any basis to the fact that everyone is allowed to enjoy whatever they wish to enjoy in a peaceful manner, they were stripped from all of them. Seeing as their right to life was taken away, I believe every other right they have is also violated.
Relevance in Contemporary Society
Human rights were not a familiar concept at the time when the events in the movie took place, which does not justify the atrocities. Sadly, even with the familiarity nowadays, such events are still taking place in the world. Some examples include the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, ethnic cleansing of Uyghurs in China, and ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans in Ethiopia. The movie becomes relevant to contemporary society and events that take place today because it shows that such events only cause people harm. In the movie, none of the characters are happy or living a good life. They are constantly living in fear and or consumed with hatred and anger and they are all miserable. In the beginning of the movie, Ralf’s promotion is celebrated as a good milestone in his life but by the end what that same thing destroyed so much of his life. What was first seen as something good turns about to be something truly so horrible that not only did it affect Ralf individually but everyone around him as well. It serves as a good reminder that such atrocities will only cause destruction and pain in the society, it is not something will create a positive outcome.
Conclusion
‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’ is a good movie to watch to analyze from the perspective of human rights. It also is a good example for showcasing what happens when people operate only for power or operate out of fear. It is important to note that while the movie pulls inspiration from a true event, it is a work of fiction and does not to depict the harsh reality that existed at the time. Certain aspects have been portrayed in a way that minimizes the brutality faced by the Jews and makes it more consumer-friendly.
References
- Herman, M. (Director). (2008). The Boy in the Striped Pajamas [Film]. Miramax Films.
- United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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