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Movie Review: The Zone of interest

The countless atrocities committed by the Nazis have been well-documented in the media, but I can’t recall having ever seen a movie that opted to focus on the cold banality of the lives of the Germans who were actively engaged in or complicit with such incredible cruelty. Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin), inspired by Martin Amis’ novel, has decided to tap into this underexplored area, and the chilling result will haunt viewers for days. Focusing on Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Freidel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller, both perfectly cast), who are raising their family in a well-appointed home directly adjacent to the camp, we watch them go about their relatively mundane existences. They live better than many of their fellow Germans and have local girls working as servants to help keep up the house, but otherwise much of their time is spent tending to trivial day-to-day tasks, aside from the odd bit of Nazi business that Rudolf attends to from his home office. Nothing here is truly normal however, a point made very clear shortly into the film when the camera changes its view of the family’s yard to expose the guard tower just on the other side of the brick wall that abuts the property. Given the proximity to the notorious camp, its noises permeate every aspect of the family’s lives. The low hum of the furnaces is ever-present, punctuated by screams and gunshots. Frequently trains can be heard bringing more prisoners, puffs of steam appearing over the tree line. Somehow, the Höss’ and their children go about their day as if they don’t even notice it. To celebrate one of the children’s birthdays, Hedwig’s mother comes to stay. Initially impressed by the large, well-maintained home and garden, she casually wonders aloud if a Jewish neighbor might be imprisoned next door, complaining that she lost her chance to claim her curtains. As the pair sit on the patio and sounds from the camp impose themselves, she turns to glance at the wall, at least a little discomfited. At night, the sounds of suffering disturb her sleep and she looks out the window, only to see ash and bright flames erupting from a smokestack. She leaves the following morning. While the atrocities next door are felt throughout almost the entire movie, we never see them. Everything is instead conveyed through Johnnie Burn’s meticulous sound design and the effect is powerful, especially in contrast to the mundanity of everything shown. Cinematographer Łukasz Żal’s striking staging avoids overly prettifying the home while still maintaining a painterly artfulness, often using static, embedded cameras to give the proceedings the sort of voyeuristic feel of reality shows like Big Brother. A movie may not be the best place to figure out exactly how people can react so blithely to such large-scale inhumanity, so Glazer doesn’t really try to do so. It is enough however to be reminded that the behavior is not only something that we as a species are capable of, but that it is necessary for such evil to be enacted. Hopefully the reminder will help to prevent it from happening again. ★★★★★ RATED PG-13 FOR THEMATIC MATERIAL, SOME SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL, AND SMOKING.

@seanf

Feb 21, 2024

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the killing of a sacred deer (2017)

i have such a hard time getting through movies, its brutal and unfortunate. i am fully aware im missing out on some critical pieces of art in consequence, but if isnt both predominantly psychological thriller and as quickly paced as oppenheimer, its super hard to keep me engaged. i will talk about this movie until the end of time. despite minimal dialogue and the most clinical atmosphere to be captured by means of cinematography, the lack of information and consequential unpredictability kept me thoroughly enticed and fully unnerved for the full two hours. minimalism weaponized for max intensity with no certain direction; epitomization of surrealist thriller. watching it for the first time without context nor any expectations is an invaluable experience.

@slut

Nov 26, 2024

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society of the snow (2023)

Unequivocally the most harrowing film I have ever seen and I cannot get it out of my head…. Deeply disturbing , anxiety inducing, compelling, stomach churning. Shot and written with effective precision, without overkill or gratuitous exploitation. Movies about the human will to survive are hard to do without being either corny or played out and this does follow a similar narrative arc but I really appreciated how it was told. I recommend watching the little docu about the making of the film. I love production. Unbelievable true story and really compelling film

@caroline

Jan 28, 2024

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