Last night was another Cineworld Unlimited Screening, this time I got the chance to see an early screening of The Zone of Interest from director Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin, Birth), a subtitled movie in German and Polish which I think has been one of the hardest movies to watch on the big screen for a long time.
“The Zone of Interest” is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged film that delves into the complexities of human nature against the backdrop of one of the darkest chapters in history – the Holocaust. The film is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Martin Amis, it’s a unique perspective on the atrocities of World War II, blending historical accuracy with a touch of fiction to create a film that puts a lump in your throat as the happy family get on with their lives while the atrocities are taking place in Auschwitz on the other side of their garden wall.
Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) and their children seem oblivious to the horror of the screams of adults and children as they are murdered in the camp. We follow the family as Rudolf puts together the Nazi solution of building the furnaces that will never stop.
The film is heavy throughout with the sound editing bringing the slightly subdued screams from old and young going to their deaths and the constant sound of the furnaces in the background, it’s a tough film to watch without feeling more hatred for what happened to the Jews during this horrific and barbaric time in world history.
The cinematography of The Zone of Interest is nicely shot with the garden looking like something from a fairy tale, but this doesn’t distract the viewer from what else is going on. There are several scenes shot at night with a young girl putting apples out for the prisoners and this is shot almost as if a night vision camera is used. But then we are taken later to her home where her mother is rushing to close the windows and bring in the washing as the furnaces churn out bellowing smoke!
The soundtrack from Mica Levi is also something that is prominent right from the start of the film, after the title of the film is displayed for a short time, we have a long moment of the screen being black and the music playing that makes you feel uneasy, this slowly leads to birds chirping and then we see the family for the Höss the first time.
There are other moments throughout The Zone of Interest where the sound booms out and again sets you at unease, look out for another moment where the screen fades to red, cuts the sound off completely for a few seconds and then the film continues.
This is a film that not everyone is going to manage to watch, but it is a film that maybe everyone should see and never forget the horrors of what happened and that should never happen again!
The Zone of Interest is in UK cinemas from the 2nd of February from A24.
A powerful and very emotional film to watch
Movie title: The Zone of Interest
Movie description: The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
Date published: January 21, 2024
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 45
Director(s): Jonathan Glazer
Actor(s): Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, Freya Kreutzkam
Genre: Drama, History, War
Summary
“I found the sound editing in this movie extremely powerful and emotional, particularly the screams which took my breath away. While this movie is not for everyone and can be heart-wrenching, it can shock many viewers. It’s not what I was expecting!”
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
