#3 – The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Based on a novel by John Boyne, this 2008 film is set in Poland during the Holocaust. Main character Bruno, the son of a concentration camp Commandant, befriends Shmuel, the titular boy in a striped uniform who lives behind a barbed wire fence. After a disagreement with his father, Bruno sneaks into the camp and finds Shmuel, who gives him a uniform to help him blend in. Along with a group of inmates, Bruno and Shmuel are ushered into the “showers” by a guard. By the time Bruno’s family discover he is missing, it is too late.

In addition to the horror of the camps and the fact that this was the fate of millions of innocent people, some sadness comes from the fact that Bruno’s simple desire to play with his friend led to his death. This is one of the bleakest endings in movie history.