The Zone of Interest

Nominated for: Picture, Direction, Adapted Screenplay, Sound, International Feature

IMDB Summary: Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden beside the camp. 

Oof. This is a heavy film. I've seen my fair share of movies depicting various aspects of the Holocaust, but this is one was tough. I am likening it to the feelings I had while watching Schindler's List for the first time...minus the saving grace of heroism and bravery amidst sheer evil. One could argue that the cannon of stories depicting this dark period of history is crowded and offers no new insight, however I have never seen a film like this. Unlike any of the films I've seen before, the point of this story is not on human suffering or overcoming the horrors of the concentration camps - it depicts dehumanization and begins to offer insight into the age old question "how did this happen?"

I don't think there are any "easy" ways to tell the story of the Holocaust, but this is a tough watch. The story focuses on the commandant of Auschwitz and his family, whose home shares a border wall with the camp. On one side, we see the detail and care the family matron has put into designing her dream oasis in an extensive garden surrounding the family home. However, in almost every camera angle of this garden, there are constant reminders of the monstrosities occurring just meters away on the other side of the wall - train smoke, furnace fires, gunshots. The characters have mastered the art of compartmentalizing - boxing away the consequences of their work as to not interfere with their dream home and life Nazi Germany has provided them. It's fascinating and sickening to watch. 

This film is nominated for best sound and my word, I love this nomination. The sound is so haunting; I had to remind myself at a few different points that this was not a horror movie, despite what I was hearing. It's an uncomfortable juxtaposition of sights and sounds - on screen there are beautiful visuals of life, order, peace, and tranquility, which are underscored with sounds of the agony and horror of the camp. There's also a mixture of the sounds of daily life - nature, laughter, housekeeping - overlaying the horrible groans of life and the evil mechanics of the concentration camps. The family treats the dull noises of gunshots and screams as one would treat the white noise of any other factory, however the audience has the woe of the harsh realization of what these sounds connect to. The entire film is a clash of senses that yields feelings of unease through most of the scenes. As revolting as those scenes are, it's stunning filmmaking. 

This film is also up for best International Feature film, a category I think it has a better shot of winning at than Best Picture. I do find it interesting that it is the United Kingdom's official entry, given the entire film is spoken in German and takes place mostly in Eastern Europe. I would have assumed this might have come from Poland - but I also have to commend the two German actors who took on the roles of Commandant Hoss and his wife. Their performances were so chilling in the way they normalized life in and amongst the camp. I can't imagine that was an easy role to tackle for anyone, let alone two actors from the country responsible for the horrific events of the Holocaust. Sandra Huller (who is nominated for her leading role in Anatomy of a Fall) is the commandant's wife, and she was, once again, calmly horrifying to watch. Like I said, this is not a horror movie, but having the understanding of history makes all of the performances terrifying to watch, even during the small moments of normal life activities.

This is not a feel good watch. I'm not sure many Holocaust movies are, but this one is a toughie. I think this is an intriguing part of human history to explore, and if you share that opinion, you might appreciate the story this film is telling. If that's not what trips your trigger, then viewer beware. 

Showing in theaters; available to stream on various platforms.