Sins of the Father The film "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", based on the book by John Boyne, is not exactly a feel-good film, but it is fantastic depiction of the existence of good and evil and the responsibility we have as human beings to distinguish between the two; because it is responsibility that distinguishes us from every other being. In my opinion, this is an important, life-changing film with a significant message, and should be seen by everyone. The film is told from the point of view of Bruno, an eight-year-old boy, whose innate sense of morality and justice ultimately makes him the fallen hero of the story. The film's premise focuses on the friendship that develops between Bruno and Shmuel, also an eight-year-old victim of the Holocaust. The film takes the viewer into the minds of these two young boys and describes the Holocaust through their childhood eyes. The story is centered during World War II in 1942 and begins with Bruno racing through the streets of Berlin with three friends, imitating warplanes. When Bruno arrives home he finds that his things have been packed up. He asks his mother Elsa what is happening and she tells him that his father Ralf, a German SS soldier, has received a promotion and the family has to leave their home in Berlin and move to a new house in the countryside. From his new bedroom, Bruno looks out the window and sees what he believes to be a farmhouse. He questions his mother about this, asking her why all the farmers wear striped pajamas and if he can go and play with the children who live there. His mother appeases him but does not agree to let him go and play with the children on the farm, nor is he allowed to leave the compound to play or explore; it is limited only to the house and yard. After... mid-paper... destroyed by guilt, he longs to redeem himself and agrees to help Shmuel find his missing father. While searching for Shmuel's father, the two boys inadvertently become trapped among a group of prisoners who are taken to the gas chamber to be exterminated. Naked, scared and holding hands, Bruno and Shmuel die together, as innocents, as friends... as equals. Thus, as evil manifests itself and reaches its inevitable conclusion, whereby the sins of the father are destined to fall upon the son; we viewers are left reeling, even crying (at least I did) from the horror and utter tragedy of watching these two innocent boys die a needless death. Yet at the same time, we are still left rooting for young Bruno as his innate humanity leads him to his final act of goodwill in facing his fear, following his heart and helping his friend is radically redemptive..