The Zone of Interest, the latest film by Jonathan Glazer, is a harrowing and disturbing drama that explores the lives of the Nazi commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, who live in a house and garden next to the camp. Based on the novel by Martin Amis, the film is a loose adaptation that uses the real names and testimonies of the people involved in the events, rather than fictionalizing them.
The film is a masterful exercise in contrast and tension, as it juxtaposes the mundane and domestic scenes of the Höss family with the horrific and unspeakable atrocities happening just over the wall. Glazer avoids showing graphic violence, but instead uses sound, suggestion and implication to create a sense of dread and horror. The film also challenges the audience to confront the banality and complicity of evil, as it shows how the Hösses rationalize, justify and normalize their actions and roles in the genocide.
The film features stunning performances by Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel as Hedwig and Rudolf Höss, who portray their characters with nuance and complexity. Hüller is especially remarkable as Hedwig, who oscillates between denial, curiosity, guilt and defiance as she grapples with her situation. The film also boasts a remarkable cinematography by Lukasz Zal, who captures the bleak and oppressive atmosphere of Auschwitz with stark and haunting images. The film's score by Mica Levi is equally haunting and unsettling, creating a mood of anxiety and despair.
The Zone of Interest is not an easy film to watch, but it is a powerful and important one. It is a film that does not shy away from confronting the darkest aspects of human nature, but also does not exploit or sensationalize them. It is a film that asks difficult questions, but does not offer easy answers. It is a film that will stay with you long after it ends.
The film is a masterful exercise in contrast and tension, as it juxtaposes the mundane and domestic scenes of the Höss family with the horrific and unspeakable atrocities happening just over the wall. Glazer avoids showing graphic violence, but instead uses sound, suggestion and implication to create a sense of dread and horror. The film also challenges the audience to confront the banality and complicity of evil, as it shows how the Hösses rationalize, justify and normalize their actions and roles in the genocide.
The film features stunning performances by Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel as Hedwig and Rudolf Höss, who portray their characters with nuance and complexity. Hüller is especially remarkable as Hedwig, who oscillates between denial, curiosity, guilt and defiance as she grapples with her situation. The film also boasts a remarkable cinematography by Lukasz Zal, who captures the bleak and oppressive atmosphere of Auschwitz with stark and haunting images. The film's score by Mica Levi is equally haunting and unsettling, creating a mood of anxiety and despair.
The Zone of Interest is not an easy film to watch, but it is a powerful and important one. It is a film that does not shy away from confronting the darkest aspects of human nature, but also does not exploit or sensationalize them. It is a film that asks difficult questions, but does not offer easy answers. It is a film that will stay with you long after it ends.