The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

My husband and I decided to see a movie tonight. It's his only day off this week, so we wanted to make it special. We were thinking of seeing Four Christmases because it seemed like a feel good, holiday film. At the last minute, we read the reviews. A bad habit Foti and I have recently formed. ( They're often off base from our taste and usually spoils are fun!) At any rate, we decided to go with the movie with the best reviews, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. We didn't read the story line, only the reviews. It got an A+ from critics and B+ from regular folks. We decided to give it a shot, even though it's grossed a modest 827K.

It' s a wonderful story. Poignant, compelling, dramatic, eye-opening, heart-breaking and yes, a real tear-jerker. It depicts a story about war, friendship, ignorance, innocence and the end of childhood. I guess it's not your typical holiday movie, but it sure did leave me feeling blessed. I have a much fuller appreciation for part of my heritage and where I am in my life today.

I don't want to give away the movie or give a synopsis. I'll just say it is a must see especially for those who think the holidays are all about the gifts and hoopla. It's about togetherness, family and friends. Appreciation for all things, even the small things we take for granted, like food.

There is one part I'd like to share and it's not in the trailer. Maybe it spoke to me because I'm a chef. It's when Bruno shares a dessert with his secret, forbidden friend Schmultz. To see a child starving and devour food in that way was heart wrenching. Perhaps we don't have as many problems we do today as we did in those days, however, hunger is still prevalent. This Christmas I plan to continue working on helping with the local hunger problem in my community. My Christmas wish is that everyone does the same. That's truly what I want. It's funny. No matter where I go nowadays, all I can focus on is how can I help with hunger problems.

(now I'll politely step down from my soapbox ;)