British director Jonathan Glazer has produced some stunning films in the past twenty years such as Under the Skin and the legendary Sexy Beast, but he may have exceeded them all with his latest, The Zone of Interest.
Nazi Commandant Rudolf Hoss set up Auschwitz to systematically rid the world of the Jewish race and while the horrors of the camp were taking place he, his wife and five children lived what can only be described as an idyllic lifestyle right next door, separated only by a wall.
Whilst the Hoss family lives appear nothing more than mundane, millions of Jews were being poisoned, gassed, shot, experimented on, starved, beaten and eventually cremated next door.
In fact over Rudolf Hoss’s reign of terror, he was responsible for the lives of 3.5 million being treated in this manner.
There are some elements to this film that stood out for me and made such a gruesome topic so watchable.
The sound is extraordinary. Like the paradoxical nature of the story, there is continuously these beautiful sounds coming from the stunning landscape where the family play, birds etc and combined with that there is this monotonous noise associated with the horrors being committed in the background.
These subtle screams, gunshots and the whirring of ovens are there gently fusing into your subconscious. In fact the very opening title contained those sounds and made me feel very uncomfortable from the get go.
The two lead actors, multi award winning Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall) as Hoss’s wife and Christian Friedel as Hoss whom I hadn’t seen before, were outstanding.
Again the paradox between being loving parents and their commitment and belief in the atrocities happening only metres away was chilling and quite unnerving.
The naturalness of the whole family was superb. The kids are gorgeous but aren’t unaffected by the scenario although the parents naively believe it to be the case.
The attention to detail in this film is not unlike a Stanley Kubrick film. Every shot is perfect and the design is incredible from the wardrobe to the rooms and the sets.
Glazer has the backing of the Polish Film Board and has made it in German language with sub-titles. Using both German leads, this is yet again another truth telling about the reality of what occurred in WW2.
My good friend The Senator recently gave me a copy of 2022 film The Conference, a brilliant German film about a meeting in 1942 held by senior Nazi’s to discuss Hitler’s Final Solution.
Similar to The Zone of Interest it is an honest acknowledgment of what happened and doesn’t shy away from anything. These films are graphic but ultimately help to heal, unlike the botched, ambiguous education we have regarding our Indigenous history in Australia.
Zone of Interest concludes with a snapshot to the future and Auschwitz as it is today. You can’t help but be moved.
This isn’t a film for everyone but for me this is great film-making and a wake up call to how we are never far away from evil and it’s consequences. Trailer below. 9.5/10
Totally agree with your take on the treatment used in this film. I delved into the making of to discover the method behind the extraordinary portrayal of an ordinary family living in the midst of atrocities. The standout for me is the starkly simple set styling. Simply incredible. The usual demonisation of the Nazi characters is balanced with a humane lens on family life.
thanks Lynda
Probably a movie a would never have normally even considered watching. But after reading your detail and history of the movie , makes me want to watch it. I think the way that tell the story about it makes it more intriguing. Thanks Willow.
thanks heaps Rod