Time: 105 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Sexual references & content that may disturb
Cast:
Christian Friedel as Rudolf Höss
Sandra Hüller as Hedwig Höss
Director: Jonathan Glazer

The Zone of Interest was one of the movies from 2023 that I had been meaning to watch for some time. Not only was it highly nominated across multiple awards shows, but it has been regarded as one of the year’s very best. It finally arrived at the cinema and after seeing it, I can say that it really did live up to all the acclaim.

The movie is about Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, and his wife and family living right next door to the concentration camp. If you look at it from a plot perspective, not much happens in the conventional sense. There aren’t a whole lot of characterisations, and the story is deliberately simple. And yet, it slowly pulls you into this quietly harrowing experience; there is so much subtext and everything is so subtle that it leaves you with a lot to think about. The Zone of Interest has to be one of the more uncomfortable portraits of human evil that I’ve seen in a movie. I’ve already seen some reviewers repeatedly bringing up ‘the banality of evil’ when talking about the movie, but I also think it has a lot to say about the human condition. The most notable aspect about the movie is the fact that it goes to great lengths to not include any imagery from inside the concentration camp, and you never actually see the atrocities take place on screen. That said, you certainly hear the sounds of the camp throughout the whole movie. It doesn’t let you forget the reality of what these characters are surrounded by as they live their lives, with the suffering happening right next door, just separated by a wall. By stripping away the on screen crimes against humanity, you are confronted with having to view the film’s subjects (mainly Rudolf and Hedwig Höss) as people and not just as monsters. It emphasizes how the worst crimes in history are committed by seemingly normal people.

In some ways, The Zone of Interest is a domestic drama about a family living out their normal and mundane lives, concerned with their own personal problems, while the Holocaust is a backdrop and the gunshots and sounds of human suffering carry on as background noise. Even though the movie is set in the 1940s and focuses on the Holocaust, I think much of its content, subtext, and questions posed are universal and timeless, not to mention relevant to today. Watching the movie, it was impossible not to think of the casual genocide of Palestinians by Israel, and how the human suffering is just ignored and merely white noise. The Zone of Interest forces us to grapple with some uncomfortable ideas, and calls into question our own complicity: what side of the wall are we really on? Finally, I really liked the movie’s very interesting and unexpected approach to its ending. It will likely lead to many discussions and debate as to its significance and meaning.

The acting is great from everyone, but it largely comes down to Christian Friedel and Sandra Huller as Rudolf and Hedwig Höss, both of whom deliver fantastic and committed performances. Definitely some of the more haunting portrayals of evil I’ve seen, again not because of how outwardly monstrous they are, but how real they feel. While the actors are in service of the movie, they help to infuse their roles with uncomfortable humanity.

Jonathan Glazer’s direction is nothing short of extraordinary, The Zone of Interest is just flawlessly crafted all round. The cinematography is really great. Not only is it nice to look at (while not looking glamorized), but the amazing shot composition and framing is very effective. While you don’t see inside Auschwitz, its roofs and towers are often in view, with the occasional billowing of smoke in the air, whether it be from the arriving train, or from the chimneys of the camp. Even the camera placements in the Hoss house make us feel like we are a fly on the wall, spying on these people. The production design is very good; everything feels so authentic and grounded, especially the main setting at the family house that the movie largely takes place at. I am glad that I watched the movie in the cinema, it forces you to watch what’s happening on screen and to not look away. But it’s also because of its tremendous sound design, I don’t think it would’ve been nearly as effective or impactful if I had watched it at home. As I said earlier, while you never see the atrocities happening not too far from the house, you certainly hear them, and it’s chilling in how incredibly authentic and real it feels. This movie largely avoids relying on a musical score, largely to its benefit as it helps to immerse you into its environments. However, whenever Mica Levi’s score is present, it gives this haunting and unsettling feeling of dread that is impossible to shake off.

The Zone of Interest is a haunting, chilling, captivating and visceral experience of a film, with excellent performances, brilliant direction, and particularly masterful sound design. It is a very tough watch and not for everyone, not only because of the subject matter or how challenging it is, but also for how experimental it is. However, I think it is a necessary viewing, and I would recommend watching it in the cinema if you are able to. It really is among the very best films of 2023.