Watched this Costa-Gavras film last month â a political conspiracy thriller in French set in an unnamed Mediterranean country thatâs very obviously Greece, closely mirroring a real political struggle from that era.
Honestly feels pretty relevant if youâre paying attention to the current NYC mayoral election.
Canât say much about the ending without spoiling it, but it completely flips everything in a single moment. Worth it just for that.
3d ago
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The countless atrocities committed by the Nazis have been well-documented in the media, but I canât 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 Amisâ 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 HĂŒller, 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 familyâs 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 familyâs 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 Hössâ and their children go about their day as if they donât even notice it.
To celebrate one of the childrenâs birthdays, Hedwigâs 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 Burnâs meticulous sound design and the effect is powerful, especially in contrast to the mundanity of everything shown. Cinematographer Ćukasz Ć»alâs 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 doesnât 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. â
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RATED PG-13 FOR THEMATIC MATERIAL, SOME SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL, AND SMOKING.
Feb 21, 2024
Only half way through and have maybe conflicted feelings about this film, which tracks an industrialist familys various foibles and debaucheries in the early years of the third reich
But If youâre going to watch a film that takes this approach to the subjectâ focusing on politics and morality, aristocratic degeneration, the particular place of family drama in historyâ I think itâs a pretty good one. Thereâs a sort of tragic Shakespearean valence to it all
Good âeuropean art house film about fucked up rich peopleâ movie
Jan 13, 2024
***contains spoilers****
Such a good synopsis of the ending and the filmâs overarching themes in the personal and the political. Love this freaky film so much!!!
Feb 16, 2025
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Just because I see a window to get across the street doesnât mean you donât have to look both ways. Iâve been on the other side of that thoughâŠ
May 11, 2025
I met Erin (@RIOTGRRRL) and Jake (@SLOWDAZZLE) last year after I started using PI.FYIâwe organized a meetup before a Jonathan Richman show and immediately clicked over our shared taste in music and similar sensibilities. We started hanging out a lot and had some great times together. Iâve also gotten to know many of their friends, who are all really cool. Erin and Jake started dating a couple of months after the three of us became friends, but our group chat still pops off. Their friendship has meant a lot to me, especially since moving to NYC in 2023, and I really appreciate having them in my life.
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Come hang with some PI.FYI folks at Franklin Park in Crown Heights in Brooklyn on 7/19 @ 6:30. riotgrrrl and slowdazzle will be there too! Link is the Partiful invited!
Jun 22, 2024