Originally posted by BBC

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Children 'should see' Holocaust film

By Neil Smith
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

The makers of a new movie offering a child's perspective on the Holocaust are encouraging parents to let their children see it.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has been rated 12A by the British Board of Film Classification for its "scenes of holocaust threat and horror".

As such the film is considered suitable for viewers aged 12 and over, though younger children may be admitted if they are accompanied by an adult.

"I think 12A is an ideal certificate," says its director Mark Herman. "You're never too young to learn about the idiocy of racism and the folly of prejudice."

Based on the novel by Irish author John Boyne, the film tells of the friendship that develops between Bruno, the eight-year-old son of a concentration camp commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish boy who is imprisoned inside.

According to Herman, the drama offers young children "an easy first step towards learning about that horrible time in our history".

"It's not a children's film, but it certainly could and should be watched by children," agrees the British actor David Thewlis, who plays Bruno's father.

Distressing

The Harry Potter star says he will "very forcibly" encourage his three-year-old daughter, Gracie, to see the film when she is old enough.

This is despite an emotive climax that, while far from graphic, could well prove distressing to those of an impressionable age.

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