“The Zone of Interest” is one of the rare films I’ve seen where I was truly hijacked.
For 106 minutes, I sat in a packed Lincoln Square AMC and barely moved a muscle as I witnessed a tense and sobering picture unfold.
The film follows a commander of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his family as they live less than 100 feet from the very concentration camp that was responsible for the termination of over 1 million Jews. Loosely based on the novel of the same name by Martin Amis, the film has been a hit with critics and viewers alike, earning a 91 on Metacritic and 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The Zone of Interest” tackles the nauseating irony of this idyllic domesticity situated so closely to (and achieved through) the horror of Auschwitz in a way that is both poignant and unnerving.
Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Picture, “The Zone of Interest” reframes familiar themes of evil, hatred and discrimination into an unfamiliar and uncomfortable juxtaposed setting.
The filmmaking from director Jonathan Glazer is precise here, yet also experimental.
Glazer employs the typical color gradient and camera lenses of many European films, with muted tones, long takes and extreme wide shots. However, he also makes a concerted effort to hypnotize audiences in a much more avant-garde way as he plays with both the audio and visual atmospheres of the film.
The writing is brilliant and rightly deserves to be nominated for an Oscar this year. The Holocaust is obviously a subject that can be explored in a variety of ways, and to varying degrees. Glazer pushes the envelope here to force viewers to truly think and feel, taking their brain and eyes off autopilot and keeping his audience on their toes.
What’s impressive about this is that it doesn’t subtract from the film’s steady and awe-inducing filmmaking. Glazer is able to brilliantly make his audience intensely uncomfortable and focused simultaneously.
Admittedly, I came into this film with sky-high expectations. I had seen the trailer, read the (spoiler-free) reviews and listened to endorsements from social media personalities who I trust with film ratings.
The expectations were certainly met, but not exceeded, which is a good thing.
What prevented “The Zone of Interest” from just barely being a true five-star film for me was its inability to pack a devastating punch beyond just the premise of the film.
The concept of the film is haunting and disturbing, and while some who’ve seen the film may argue that it develops in a much more provocative way than the basic setting and plot of the film, I disagree.I wish I wasn’t sitting up all night replaying scenes from the film in my head again and again, as was the case for many others.
While the basis of the film is horrifying, I feel like there could have been yet another stroke of genius from Glazer to bring the film into a class of its own.
“The Zone of Interest” is technically sound, structurally intriguing and brilliantly crafted. While it may not leave you struggling to speak for hours after viewing, it will challenge and move you.
If a film can do that, along with so much more, then it deserves to be seen.
Alan weinberger • Feb 13, 2024 at 6:17 am
Agree, some final punch outside of a fade out would/should have been added to make it 5 stars. It does not sear your brain and you forget the film a week after you view it