Film Reflection #1: Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

In our Theology class, we watched the film, "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Pajamas)". Afterwards, we were required to do a reflection paper about the film. Since I don't have any blog ideas as of the moment, I might as well share it you guys. Please go easy on me because I really don't know how to write a reflection paper. I still don't get the difference between a reaction paper and a reflection paper. Without further ado, here it is:

I am thankful that I live in the period where people treat each other with respect and dignity. Though there are still few instances of mistreatment, today improved a lot in terms of equality. Indeed, we learned from the past so that the bad things that happened in the past will never happen again.  

At such a young age, Bruno decided to hang around with the little boy even though he was a Jew and tried to help find the little boy’s father. Not all people can do this in real life, well in similar context.  If I were in the same position as Bruno, I might hang around with him, but I will not risk my life to enter the work camp for I might die there. It’s great to help people but when in times of life and death, I prefer to save myself. Though, I’m trying my very best to help people at dire times, it’s just that, it’s very difficult to do it. On the other hand, if I were to choose, I would bring Schmuel out of work camp so that he will not suffer anymore.

Though this was my second time watching the film, I always feel sad that Bruno died at the end trying to help Schmeul because he did the right thing that only a few people are willing to do, and yet died from doing it. I admire Bruno’s bravery because he did it. I wanted to be like that, but it’s hard to do it because you need a lot of courage to do it.

The film shows the violence that the soldiers inflicted upon the Jews. They were treated wrongly and they were considered as evil. I thought to myself, why they were doing this to innocent people. They did not do anything to them. They are people as well.

This film also reminded me of the popular sentence, “Life is unfair”. This had me thinking why people suffered more than others even though they did nothing to the Germans and why the persecutors live a good life.

From this, we must treat people with respect and dignity because we are humans with rational capabilities, we are equal, and we should not be used as a means to an end, treated as objects, or treated as nothing.

See you guys later!