FAQ for
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas can be found here.

Yes. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2006 novel by Irish novelist John Boyne. Boyne claims to have written the first draft of the book in all of 2-1/2 days! The book was adapted for the screen by director Mark Herman.

Those who have both read the book and seen the movie say that, other than some minor details, such as the ages of the boys, the movie is remarkably similar to the book, even down to the ending.

Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is the 8-year old son of a commander (David Thewlis) near a Jewish concentration camp. He and his family live just outside the camp, and Bruno is very much alone. Across the fence into "Out-with", Bruno's term for Auschwitz, he can see people wearing striped pyjamas. One day when Bruno is bored silly by his tutor, Herr Liszt (Jim Norton), he goes exploring and meets a boy named Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), one of those people who always wear striped pyjamas. Seeing as they're both lonely and would like someone to hang around with, they quickly become friends.

Because it's a British-made film with British actors (albeit filmed in Hungary). Had it been made in Hollywood it would have had American actors speaking English with American accents or fake German accents. To have the movie take place in German, the British film-makers would have had to either: 1) hire and be able to communicate with German actors, 2) teach German to the English actors, 3) have the actors use fake German accents, or 4) subtitle the movie in English. (1) and (2) would have been expensive, (3) would have been comical, if not offensive, to the audience, and (4) would drive off a large portion of the viewers who don't like reading subtitles. Film critic Roger Ebert praised the film for is use of English accents which he says conveys the class of the family which could not have been shown if any of the above methods had been used.

To Americans, "pajamas" is the correct spelling. To the British, "pyjamas" is the correct spelling. Since this story was written by an Irish author and filmed by a Brit, it's "pyjamas".