The Boy With Striped Pyjamas (2008)

Director: Mark Herman

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis

Genre: Drama, War 

Plot: An emotional, heart-wrenching drama set during the Holocaust events of WWII. This brilliant movie shows the "death of innocence"...quite literally.

A young German boy, Bruno (Asa Butterfield) befriends a young Jewish boy, Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) after Bruno's family relocates to a new place. Bruno's father (SS Commander) is in charge of the prison camp where Shmuel is detained with his family as a prisoner.

This prison camp is actually a Nazi Death Camp-a fact Commander has concealed from his wife and family. Commander's wife is devastated once truth dawns onto her.

Innocent Bruno isn't aware what a Death Camp is. For him all the prisoners in Striped pyjamas are participants in a game. He visits the prison boundaries secretly and plays with Shmuel - who is equally unaware about realities. Bruno also convinces Shmuel that it's all a game and they together decide to look for Shmuel's missing father.

Back at home Commander and his perturbed wife realize that Bruno is missing. They track him down to the Prison.

But now the Game might have gone a bit too far.

Without a shadow of doubt a movie that impacts your soul deeply.

8/10

King's Speech (2010)

Director: Tom Hooper

Cast: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush

Genre: Drama, Biography

Plot: Real life story of King George the VI and his battle with speech deformity.

Incredible performance by entire cast. The chemistry between King George 'Bertie' (Colin Firth) and his ahead-of-time Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) is backbone of the movie.

The development of friendship between a 'Royal' and a somewhat 'Rogue' has been captured immaculately, their ups and down, the Royal snob, common man's perseverance--it is all perfection personified.

Indeed a high point for cinema in terms of direction.

8/10