The Zone of Interest (12A)

Dir: Jonathan Glazer

Cast: Christian Friedel, Sandra Huller

Jonathan Glazer’s atmospheric holocaust drama provides a harrowing insight into the lives of those responsible for committing unforgivable crimes against humanity

As we approach the back end of this years award circuit, one of the films that has conjured up a storm throughout is Jonathan Glazer‘s experimental holocaust drama ‘The Zone of Interest’. I have long been an admirer of Glazer’s work dating back to his directorial feature, the electric British gangster flick Sexy Beast (2000). The London-born filmmaker has recieved nothing but critical praise throughout his lengthy yet sporadic career. Having only released three feature films in his career, there was plenty anticipation surrounding Glazer’s latest project when it was announced in 2019.

‘The Zone of Interest‘ is adapted from the 2014 novel of the same name by English author Martin Amis, and focuses on real-life Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his family as they make an “idyllic” life for themselves next to the infamous concentration camp. When it came to adapting the novel, Glazer was granted plenty of freedom and opted to take a more improvisational approach to fully immerse the audience. Glazer is well known for his experimental techniques, and working alongside cinematographer Lukasz Zal, chose to utilize the same hidden camera method he used in his beautifully haunting sci-fi horror Under The Skin (2013).

It is through these multiple intricately placed cameras that we begin to familiarise ourselves with the Höss family’s dream home, painstakingly recreated on site at Auschwitz by production designer Chris Oddy. It is in the confines of this seemingly idyllic home where witness the placid lives of those responsible for the heinous crimes taken place on the other side of the garden wall. Glazer’s ingenious fly-on-the wall take on the source material invites us as the audience to observe the day-to-day life of Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), his increasingly distant wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) and their five children.

Whilst the film may not follow narrative conventions, with no real central story structure, it masterfully captures the mundanity of a family blissfully ignorant to the horror surrounding them. We witness Rudolf take his kids fishing and horse riding, they are treated to bedtime stories and even have a swimming pool to play in. It is this normalcy that makes the film so haunting, particular in the bleaker scenes, one of which shows the female family members remain unmoved while they pick out clothing that has been stripped from Jewish women recently transferred to the neighbouring camp. It is this juxtaposition between the ongoing real life brutality and the family’s indifference that enables ‘The Zone of Interest‘ stand out as one of most disturbing holocaust dramas to be ever put to screen.

It is a brave decision by Glazer to tell this story from a Nazi perspective, with no right-minded viewer being able to associate themselves with these real life monsters. The balance solely lies in the hands of the two lead performances, who have the difficult task of owning the screen without ever empathising their characters. Friedel portrays the family patriarch with the stoicism to be expected of a man who can condemn the lives of thousands of innocent people. His sternness is more than matched however by the more emotionally volatile Hedwig, excellently portrayed by Sandra Huller in what is turning out to be a breakthrough year following her award-laden performance in Anatomy of a Fall. Hedwig may not have the same impact as her husband within the grounds of the camp itself but she is equally as implicit for his actions. While Rudolf spends the majority of his hours patrolling the grounds of Auschwitz, Hedwig keeps a watchful eye over her beloved garden, revelling in the perks that come with her husband’s job.

The real star of the film though is the meticulously crafted sound from sound engineer Johnnie Burn. Having worked tirelessly for months cross-referencing historical testimonies with the camps blueprint, Burn was able to accurately determine distances and echoes of the sounds within the camp walls. Once Glazer made the executive decision to never showcase the atrocities within the camp, Burn was given the daunting task to bring the barbarity to life through his sound design, which he accomplishes with powerful results. The combination of Zal’s camera work and Burn’s sound design only further highlights how evil this family is, as we see them go about their happy lives, unperturbed by the gunshots, screams and cries for help in the distance.

The technical aspects of ‘The Zone of Interest‘ could not be more finely tuned, with Glazer operating at the peak of his abilities. Every creative decision is not without its risks but Glazer has managed to craft one of the most immersive cinematic experiences in recent years. I went into this with extremely high expectations and not knowing what to expect but I have come out completely blown away by a true achievement in filmmaking. Whilst the sombre and unconventional narrative may deter some viewers, I cannot see how else a film of this nature could be made any other way without sensationalising one of history’s darkest moments.

The Zone of Interest will be showing in UK Cinemas from 2nd February