Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest takes a unique perspective on the Holocaust, focusing on the lives of those on the other side of the wall separating the horrors of Auschwitz from the daily lives of those who caused it or were in denial of it. This film is unlike any other Holocaust movie, as it manages to be just as harrowing and frightening without any visuals of violence and suffering. Glazer’s inspiration for the film came from Martin Amis’ book, and he concentrates on the lives of the Commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Hoss, his wife Hedwig, their children, servants, assorted family, and others weaved in and out of the large, light and airy home built just on the edge of the camp but separated by a wall of ivy, lilac bushes, and an ever-growing garden created by Hedwig to make this a beautiful atmosphere.
Glazer employs a unique filming technique, using 10 cameras in fixed positions in various rooms that are remotely operated by focus pullers to get a natural sense of the everyday life going on, as smoke billows up in the otherwise bright blue skies, an imposing guard tower can be seen in the distance, and most hauntingly sounds of horror and death and gunshots softly heard from the other side. The film opens with just its title fading into a stark black screen that remains for several minutes accompanied by some imposing music. Finally, we see a picture, and it is an idyllic one with a family sunning themselves in lush green surroundings by the river. This could be a picnic for any family, but we soon find out this is not just any family.
Hedwig feels like this is some sort of utopia, exactly what was promised to Germans by Hitler, and he delivered on it so that the business at hand could be accomplished as they live in denial. Rudolf’s business meeting features matter-of-fact talk about updating crematoriums for more efficiency and talk about disposing of various groups. Their kids play with toy soldiers, a young son has a Nazi uniform, the family dog runs carefree through the house. Servants tend to keeping everything spotless, family gatherings are common. Before going to sleep in separate beds, Hedwig tells her husband she longs to return to that wonderful Italian spa where they once vacationed. Things for the Hoss family could not be better, their “dream life” now a reality, as Hedwig says.
Most of the film is centered around this community, but later on, once he travels, we do see Rudolf in Berlin at a lavish Nazi party; later, on the phone to his wife who asks about the people who were there, he replies, “I didn’t really notice, I was just thinking how I might gas a group like this with ceilings so high.” Huller and Friedel carry the load in terms of the cast, but all do fine work. The production design by Chris Oddy is a marvel, allowing all those cameras (Lukasz Zal is the cinematographer) to capture this entire home in real time. The sound design of all the muted noises, screams, shots, and commands coming from the camp is especially haunting and effective throughout.
At a time where, incredibly, Nazism, Holocaust denial, and antisemitism are back in favor in some corners of the globe including America, this movie is a reminder of the horror and the denial of that horror from an unusual perspective that should make us very afraid. The Zone of Interest takes its place among the great films made on the Holocaust and will probably haunt you long after seeing it. The film had its world premiere tonight in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
