The Zone Of Interest (2023) Dir: Jonathan Glazer
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One of last year's most intriguing and divisive films, this A24 production, from director Jonathon Glazer, won the Academy Award for Best International Feature. It seemed to be the kind of film that people either loved, or felt was a little overhyped. Regardless, the general consensus was positive. I wanted to watch it sooner, but unfortunately, I had to wait until it arrived on streaming.
I expected an uncomfortable, somewhat disturbing watch, and that was truly what I experienced. The film depicted a haunting portrayal of domestic life, in a quietly very twisted manner. Strip away the environment, and the story seems very normal - in terms of the life that the characters seem to live. It's that depiction of apparent normalcy that makes the film's message so effective.
The horror comes from the background - what happens off-screen, behind the walls of the character's home, and just barely within earshot. The use of sound was hugely important to this aspect. It helped emphasise the contrast between the lives of this seemingly normal family, and the lives of those inside the infamous Auschwitz.
I don't need to explain the atrocities that happened in concentration camps across German-occupied Europe during the thirties and forties - most people will know all-too-well what happened. This almost universally known context provides a chilling backdrop for the film, and a horrendously captivating look at life on the fringes of genocide.
Much of the poignancy and emotion evoked by the film is thanks to the clever cinematography. Shots linger, focusing on seemingly irrelevant, normal and liminal spaces, but still allow he audiences to see or hear the horrors that are happening just beyond the screen's edges. The judiciously placed camerawork gave a distinct feeling of both realism and of voyeurism. Stark lines and shapes, as well as well-positioned framing, made for some very interesting shots.
I found the acting of Christian Friedal to be exemplary. The way he offset the stern and intimidating side of his character with the more casual and family-oriented side was very impressive. I thought Friedal captured the nature of his character very competently, and provided a very strong performance as a result.
Sandra Hüller was magnificently detestable and incredibly believable. Her portrayal was superb, and I found myself hating her character hugely, such was the success of her acting. It was a very commendable performance from the moment she arrived on-screen.
There were a few noteworthy names in the supporting cast, who I would like to commend for their performances. Those being the likes of Johann Karthaus, Luis Noah Witte, Ralph Herforth, Imogen Kogge, Nele Ahrensmeier and Lilli Falk.
Overall, while one could certainly argue that the film's slow pacing took away from the intrigue of the story, I still found it to be a very effective piece of film, which was chilling in its cleverly indirect and implicit manner of storytelling and portrait of barbarity. The film was utterly haunting, and the final shots hammer home the horror with stark finality.
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