The Boy in The Striped Pajamas is a fine example of the "almost" school of filmmaking. It is "almost" a good film about family, in the same way that it is "almost" a good film about childhood friendships. In the end, however, it is only "almost" bearable as a grossly meandering exploration of the Holocaust.

During the second World War, eight-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) moves with his Nazi officer Father (David Thewlis), Mother (Vera Farmiga), and 12-year-old sister Gretel (Amber Beattie) from bustling Berlin to the backcountry of Germany. Bored by the lack of children in the vicinity, Bruno disobeys his mother's order to stay near the house, and takes off through the woods where he encounters a strange "farm," really a concentration camp, and a little boy Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) who lives there, behind a high electric fence. The two strike up a friendship, and over time, seek to help each other in any small ways they can. Even as such, decisions have disastrous results.

The saving grace of this film, and perhaps what drives home the high drama of the closing scenes, is the monumental accomplishments in acting from the young actors. Both Jack Scanlon and Asa Butterfield are no less than remarkable as two young boys who come from different worlds, and find fast friendship in troubling times. The usually capable Vera Farmiga and David Thewlis are nothing more than passable in their roles, hampered by an unwieldy and formulaic script, which manages to be convoluted and simplistic all at once.

One aspect the film divulges quite nicely is the naivety of many Germans, and the misinformation that was spread to keep citizens in the dark, but many of the characters are let off too easy, forgiven for not asking enough questions about the goings-on around them. Too many questions are raised, such as why Shmuel stayed silent as to the living conditions in the concentration camp, or how in the world Bruno's mother could have failed to know what cruelties her husband was involved with, as it occurred only miles from her home.

As far as the DVD itself is concerned, the featurettes seem to indicate that the book and the movie are aimed at children, but when such uplifting films as Wall-E abound, there seems to be no reason to plunk kids down before the television to engage in an hour and a half of soul-wrenching Holocaust onslaught. As an adult, this film was upsetting, and the effect it would have on a child seems nothing less than utterly unnecessary. The themes of responsibility, and the Holocaust in general, might be too complex for young children to comprehend. As Bruno's family is German, and Bruno's father one of the high-ranking officials in the Nazi army, the outcome of the war, and also of the film, could be difficult to explain.

The deleted scenes add nothing substantial to the film, and the audio commentary by the director of the film, Mark Herman, and writer of the book, John Boyne, on which it is based, is largely un-engaging. Sadly, the behind-the-scenes featurette, featuring many of the actors and the director speaking about the process of making the film, rings with the subtle sound of self-congratulatory filmmaking, which feels appalling.

At this point, the only way to approach the subject of the Holocaust would be with grace and timidity, and the director has chosen to let no character feel the full weight of the choices made in the film. In sidestepping any responsibility, the film runs a lot smoother, yet wavers significantly in its quest for meaning.

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