I’ve seen a lot of films about World War II but rarely have they shown the stark reality of what life was truly like for members of the SS. The Zone of Interest is the first film about the Nazis since Downfall that I have felt the true nature of who these people were. This is a look at the systematic destruction of a group of people while the people doing it are living what seems like the perfect life. History would prove otherwise though, as we know by now.

Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) live an idyllic life with their six children. They go swimming in a nearby lake and celebrate birthdays like any other family. They have a beautiful house with nice wallpaper,  various rooms for the kids and a nice big garden with all the vegetables and so forth. The kids have bikes and play with their toys. Rudolf eats at the table and reads books to his kids at night before they go to sleep. In the morning after they get the kids off to school Rudolf gets on his horse and rides through the gate separating his home and his job as the Commandant of Auschwitz. 

Jonathan Glazer who wrote and directed the film had a distinct vision for what he wanted to portray on screen. He put cameras in various locations throughout the house so as to get a first-person point of view of this family. Ala Big Brother is a reality show in America where cameras depict the lives of housemates. We as viewers get to witness first-hand the lives of this family. If we didn’t know any better it seems they are a nice beautiful family. Except we do know better and they are living a lie. Glazer creates this atmosphere brilliantly. 

The movie is a British production but all the characters speak fluent German, as is expected in a film about a Nazi family. Subtitles are used to get the dialogue across to viewers watching in the theater. The subtitles are in two colors because of the various situations in the film. Loud noises and a couple of color screens separate various parts of the movie. One thing in particular that I loved was the use of night vision to show one character doing something she probably shouldn’t be doing.

With any movie the performances by the actors are important in getting the story across to the audience and in the case of this film, there were two actors that brought their a-game. Those are Christin Friedel and Sandra Huller, who’s having a good year. She’s getting a lot of buzz for her performance in Anatomy Of a Fall as well. Both of these individuals give great performances. They play this material as straight as can be played. Don’t take their roles lightly. The material is very hard-hitting and they don’t miss a beat as the Commandant of Auschwitz and his wife who loves her role in his life and the beautiful house she is a homemaker in. Huller could be a double Academy Award nominee for her roles in these two films.

Glazer is obviously biased in his take on the events of WWII with how he wrote the script for this movie. History is history but it is all how people perceive it sometimes and some people think the holocaust actually happened.  I’m a believer and this movie with a slanted view of these events was right up my angle. That being said everybody still brought everything that had to this production. It was taken very seriously from all angles. Glazer and company should be proud of what they have accomplished here. It’s one of the best films of the year bar none. American or otherwise. 

I’ve mentioned a lot of the things that are great about this film but one more I must mention is the cinematography by Lukasz Zal. This is as good-looking a film as I’ve seen all year. It’s crisp and clear and the colors stand out from the house to the outdoors of the lake scenes and the river scenes. Even when you see smoke or explosions in the distance they are very clear. One scene of a little girl sitting in her bedroom with a massive explosion outside her window was very effective in showing what was going on on the other side of the wall separating the death camp and the house.

The Zone of Interest is a mix between Pleasantville and Downfall, the story of Adolf Hitler. It’s a two-sided story of this beautiful home and a concentration camp where thousands were put to death. Glazer wants you as a viewer to take sides but he does it in such a straightforward way you feel like this is a good piece of cinema. The same goes for the actors who are suburban in this film. As a big fan of historical movies, this one hit me hard. I was on board from the very beginning.  This is not only one of the best foreign films of the year but it’s one of the best films of the year. There is not going to be another film that hits as hard as this one does regarding the true events it depicts. People will have their opinions on it. From my perspective, this is a masterpiece from Glazer, A24, and everyone involved.

5 stars

Dan Skip Allen