Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #89 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-03-09
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Customer Reviews

A look into the 'other side'
After watching 15 minutes of this film I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. My genre is usually horror, I do also enjoy war movie's from any 20st century war, and this didn't seem to be fitting in too well.

However, the further into the movie I got, the more interested I became.

The movie tells a story of an 8 year old son of a Nazi Concentration Camp Commandant. It shows the war through his young eyes, whilst reminding the viewer of the true atrocities of WW2.

The boy, Bruno, befriends another 8 year old boy in a concentration camp, and the story shows their relationship develop.

There are numerous scenes in this movie which will upset the viewer, scenes of violence towards the Jewish prisoners etc Another interesting side of the movie is that it of course shows how the German families felt about the war, it shows that not all of them, including some soldiers, agreed with the Nazi regime yet had no choice.

All in all this movie gets 5 stars due to a clever storyline, and an ending that you will never forget, an ending that will leave the theater in silence, and make others cry, it certainly did when I saw it in the movie theater.

Definitely worth going to see, I shall be buying it as soon as it is released.

Watch this film
I never saw this film at the Cinema, but watched it on an early DVD release last week. The lady in the Video shop said it was heavy viewing, but I found the film touchingly simplistic in how it was filmed and acted - and this style did not detract at all, from the serious historical genre it depicted. Infact, it made it all the more poignant and sad. The other reviewers have detailed what the story was based around, so I wont repeat that. All I will say, is that although the ending was expected it was still shocking and upsetting. The beautiful part of this film was that it showed all too clearly, how innocent children are - before they become too privvy to their parents views, prejudices and expectations. It also showed that good people can do bad things, that they dont necessarily agree with for much the same reasons. A minority of people in power, can so control the mind set and actions of the greater majority. This film made me think, made me cry and made me reevaluate what being a parent should be about. Even though it showed the bad side of some people - it showed that most people do have good and hopeful hearts and children, inparticular are innocent souls who should be cherished and nurtured.

Tragic brilliance
I really enjoy war films as I find history very interesting but I find many are too flowery and don't show the true horrors of war, particularly WWII. This film made me sob my heart out in the middle of the cinema for everyone to hear, and I still hadn't stopped when we came out of the cinema, but it was definitely worth seeing. It shows the Holacaust through a child's eyes as well as a German family and Nazi soldier's eyes and shows you that not all Germans were necessarily for Hitler's atrocious actions. I like the fact that right up until the very last moment, you still don't know how the film is really going to end.

Be warned, it's not for the easily upset, but everyone should see this film. Tragic, but brilliant.