The Zone of Interest (2023)

The Zone of Interest isn’t a typical Holocaust film. There are no graphic portrayals of atrocities, no heroic uprisings. Instead, director Jonathan Glazer takes a chillingly intimate approach, placing us right next door to the horror. We enter the lives of Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), the commandant of Auschwitz, and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), who lead a seemingly idyllic life with their children just outside the camp’s perimeter. 

Glazer masterfully builds a sense of unease. The idyllic domesticity feels grotesquely out of place. Lush gardens bloom in the shadow of the camp’s smokestacks. Polite dinner conversations brush over the horrors just beyond the fence. The film’s power lies in this unsettling dissonance. It forces us to confront the banality of evil, how monstrous acts can be normalised in everyday life. 

The performances are consistently excellent. Friedel portrays Höss with a quiet intensity, a man both coldly calculating and strangely ordinary. Hüller is captivating as Hedwig, a woman who chooses wilful ignorance, clinging to a comfortable life despite the whispers of reality. We never quite know what goes on behind her carefully constructed facade. 

The film’s technical aspects are equally impressive. The cold, sterile cinematography mirrors the emotional detachment of the characters. The use of colour is stark, with whites gleaming amidst the oppressive greys and browns, highlighting the artificiality of the Höss family’s world. The score by Mica Levi is unsettling and discordant, a constant reminder of the darkness lurking beneath the surface.

The Zone of Interest is a slow burn, deliberately paced, demanding patience from the viewer. It’s not a film for the faint of heart. Some might be disappointed by the absence of explicit violence, but it’s precisely this restraint that makes the film so profoundly disturbing. It forces us to confront the uncomfortable questions: How could such atrocities have happened? How could people live normal lives amidst such suffering?

While the film may not be for everyone, it’s a powerful and thought-provoking piece of cinema. This chilling examination of human depravity and ignorance lingers in your mind long after the final credits have rolled. Anyone looking for a film with an unconventional take on historical events and the kind of emotional ambiguity that challenges viewers should watch The Zone of Interest. However, be prepared for a slow-paced and emotionally demanding experience.

(In cinemas — check your local movie guide for show times.)