"childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows" -John Betjeman.
The movie follows a young boy named Bruno, as him and his family move from Berlin to rural Poland, as the Nazi Soldiers begin forcefully moving Jewish families out. They took a train and it gave off lots of smoke. The fathers boy is an important soldier of some sorts, I'm guessing like something along the lines of a concentration camp officer. Once he moves into his new room he notices a farm in the distance. He notices the "farmers" wearing pajamas. That's his first encounter with the people in the concentration camp. He doesn't realize at the time of what the "farm" is. While Bruno is playing he sees smoke coming from the forest. As he tries to look at it, he falls down and hurts himself. That when he meets a prisoner that works the family. He starts talking to the old man and finds out he was a doctor before he peeled potatoes for the family. The prisoners name is Pafel.
Bruno's older sister Gretel knows about the whole situation in Germany and Poland. Bruno and Gretel's tutor tries to teach Bruno about the real world and the situation they are currently in. Bruno then goes off adventuring into the forest. He then runs into a barbed wire fence When he goes to check the fence out he meets a boy around the same age as him on the other side of the fence. The little boys name is Schmoo. Bruno is very confused about the boy. He thinks the boy is playing a game because he sees a number on the boys pajamas. Bruno then ventures into the cellar. He stumbles upon his older sister dolls jammed into the corner. When he confronts her about it she explains that they are for little girls and she is hanging up posters of the Nazi party.
He begins to see Schmoo, the other little boy, on a constant basis. Bruno asks Schmoo about the pajamas, and Schmoo tells him how they are forced to wear them. At that point Schmoo explains to Bruno that he is a Jew and that is why he is locked up and behind a fence. Bruno's tutor is being taught that the Jewish population was the reason for the crash in Germans stock market, and Bruno is confused and he begins to sneak food to Schmoo. It becomes apparent that Bruno's mom doesn't approve of what the Nazi's are doing when she figures out that they are burning the Jewish population.
Gretel explains to Bruno that the "farm" is really a work camp to punish the Jewish community. He then begins to feel resentment towards his father. Bruno discovers that him and Schmoo are not supposed to be friends, but doesn't care and gives him food. Bruno then lies to one of the soldiers about not knowing Schmoo. It's pretty sad. After that Bruno tries to go and apologize to Schmoo for what he did, but Schmoo was gone. Bruno then tries to go meet Schmoo and there regular spot by the fence but he was gone. As the days go buy and Bruno goes to meet Schmoo he isn't there. Then one day he goes back and Schmoo is there, but with a cut open eye.
Bruno finds out his grandmother is dead. And tension begins between Bruno's mother and father. And his mother moves out and Bruno and Gretel are going with her. When Bruno goes and tells Schmoo that they are moving. Schmoo tells him that he can't find his dad. They then start making a plan that Bruno is going to dig a hole under the fence to help him find his dad. Bruno then steals a shovel and goes to meet Schmoo. When he gets there Schmoo gives him an extra pair of clothes and starts digging a hole under the fence. Bruno is then on the other side and the two of them start looking for Schmoo's dad in the camp. When they are in the shack where Schmoo and his father live, the soldiers start gathering them out and taking them somewhere. Meanwhile his mother, sister, and nanny are looking for Bruno because they are supposed to leave that same day. His family starts running to the camp to look for Bruno, but Bruno and the rest of the prisoners in the camp are being taken down in a underground bunker. The prisoners are then forced to take their clothes off. They are all crammed into a shower. Just as Bruno's father gets to the camp. The lights go out in the shower and they drop in a some pills or something of some kind. Bruno's father gets to the shower, but its too late. The gassed all the Jews in the shower and they are all dead. Including Bruno himself.
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