Eyes glued to the screen watching horrible people be horrible

The Zone of Interest is Jonathan Glazer´s first film in 9 years after 2013's, A24 distributed Under The Skin made big waves.

Instead of an Alien roaming the streets of Scotland, The Zone of Interest tells the story of Rudolf Höff, who was the commandant of Auschwitz, set on building a great life for his family right next to the camp.
He’s also determined to make Auschwitz the most efficient it can be, by working on a furnace that will be able to run 24/7.

The framing of this story never takes us into Auschwitz specifically, but through a haunting soundscape, it is always present throughout the entire film. A low hum, a piercing score, and incredible performances make this a stunning piece of art.

There’s a certain looming presence of dread that creeps its way into every crevice of the Höff household. Their ignorance toward the suffering they are causing is irritating and if you expect to get your hand held through this experience you’ll soon notice that you’ll be left all alone in the dark. These despicably evil characters have ambition and a drive to live their best lives in the midst of war and genocide, without even considering to second guess their decisions.

A general sense of distance from the atrocious violence runs throughout the whole film. Be it the chosen benevolent ignorance by the characters in the story or us as the audience through time and ultimately the framing of the movie that restrains itself from showing us that side.

The cinematography, blocking, and staging are all done masterfully. Most shots are static and locked off with the characters moving through the frame. As I previously mentioned, the sound design is incredible and might be one of the best I’ve heard in years. Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel are great and it’s hard to not call this movie one of the best of its decade already.

INT. GARDEN OF EDEN - NIGHT

Auschwitz is the location of the world's most unforgivable crime. A place where humanity lost itself. An area forever marked with the horrors of xenophobia and a story that filmmakers continuously attempt to display on the screen. While holocaust cinema isn’t being worked into the ground like other genres, there hasn’t been a breath of fresh air for a while.

The Zone of Interest is that breath.

From the get-go, you're engulfed back into Auschwitz, except in this film, there is a gorgeous house bordering the concentration camp. Immediately this large grey wall hiding the atrocities is juxtaposed with the family's beautiful garden, which their mother wishes to continue improving, never mind the continuous screaming and low rumbling furnace present within the area. What Johnathan Glazer does with the sound design of this film is incredible; through audio alone, you're left with a sense of dread; how could you sleep when all you can hear are screams? The film opens with a black screen and an audio scape immediately setting the tone.

The Zone of Interest layers many elements to create a narrative worth seeing. A narrative we know but in a brand new presentation.

FADE OUT.