There
are a variety of differences, mostly quite small, between 's novel and
Mark Merman's film adaptation of the same name.
Bruno and
Shmuel's friendship: In the novel, Bruno and Shmuel's friendship develops through
the building of trust between the two children. Shmuel is reluctant to take food from Bruno,
while the movie characters get along more smoothly. The novel takes the time to explore the fear
and distrust Shmuel feels towards the boy outside the fence, while the movie chooses to forgo
the time it takes to dig into that concept and creates a comfortable friendship between the
boys.
Bruno's youth: In both the book and the
movie, Bruno is depicted as a child who does not fully understand the world he lives in and the
lifestyle his father promotes. It is his innocence which paints the contrast between the hate
that grows in adults and the inherent love that lives in children. The novel enhances that theme
with Bruno's speech impediment. In a key example, he pronounces Auschwitz as
"Out-With," showing that he has no concept of the camp and what exists inside it. The
movie does not show this side of Bruno. The novel is also told predominately from Bruno's
perspective, so we all see the world only as he sees it. Throughout the film, scenes that Bruno
would not have witnessed take place, which allows the viewer to step out of his innocent point
of view.
Character development: Since the movie
is not told strictly from Bruno's perspective, other characters are more clearly understood.
Mother and Father, who seem like faceless figures in the book, become complicit, emotional
people in the movie. The mother, in particular, becomes a more three-dimensional person in the
film than she is in the book.
The ending: In the
novel, Bruno's head was recently shaved, allowing him to blend in with the other prisoners in
the camp quickly. The film requires him to wear a hat. More importantly, the movie ends with a
closing door. The audience is left to assume that Bruno dies and imagine what it must be like
for his family to deal with the reality of what their life has done to their son. The novel
makes it plain. The characters in the book search for Bruno and are forced to face what happened
to him.
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