Coming into this film I had only seen one trailer, I expected to see a recount of the atrocities committed by the Nazi’s and Auschwitz commandant, Rudolf Höss.
I am no stranger to films revolving around the Nazi’s, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Pianist are all gripping films that had an emotional impact, and the same can be said for Zone of Interest. A trend that is apparent within myself is the primary emotion that drives through me is one of sadness and sympathy, however Zone of Interest quite simply provided a watch through of disgust and horror.
With the film centering around Rudolf Hoess, we are shown the Nazi commandant’s home; located next to the concentration camp, Auschwitz Birkenau. On the surface, the film portrays an ‘idyllic’ family life with Hoess living in the home with his wife and five children. Certain scenes depict Höss swimming with his children, his wife caring for the garden, and enjoying family parties.
However, director Jonathan Glazer makes use of this imagery effectively to further intensify the wickedness of the Nazi’s. The film on the whole possesses somewhat of a contrapuntal theme, whilst being shown such idyllic imagery, simultaneously the scene would be subverted with sounds of gunshots, screaming and aggressive shouting originating from the neighbouring concentration camp. The major conflict between sight and sound is what makes this production so chilling, adding to the uncomfortable nature of the sounds used, it epitomises the evil nature of the Nazi’s and more specifically Rudolf Höss.
Once more focusing on the sound aspect, composer Mica Levi offered an unnerving soundtrack and that personally shook me to my core. From the first minute I became overwhelmed with an uncomfortable yet absorbing cacophony of sounds that simply glued myself to the screen.
The eerie soundtrack was perfectly complimented by the performances of Christian Friedel as Rudolf Hoess, and Sandra Hüller as the commandant’s wife, Hedwig Höss. Whilst Friedel effectively maintained a stern and frighteningly calculated manner, Hüller’s performance in my opinion was the more chilling of the two. Throughout the film she would drastically switch between the role of a caring mother and a quick-tempered threatening wife of a Nazi officer.
Although I would describe this viewing as an uncomfortable one, I would implore anyone to go and watch this film. There are plenty of films that can quite simply show the actions of history, however this production having the ability to target the senses and instil the uneasiness that many would have experienced under the Nazi regime, makes Zone of Interest one of 2024’s most important creations.