Review: ‘The Zone of Interest’ is a disquieting picture of brutal normalcy
‘The Zone of Interest’ is the chilling portrayal of a Nazi family that finds routine under the shadow of Auschwitz’s smoke stacks.
People in extraordinary situations have been known to do seemingly unthinkable things, whether they defy physical limitations or codes of ethics. In hindsight, those who look back on these incidents insist they’re incapable of doing something similar, particularly when it would compel them to go against their personal moral beliefs. Yet, seemingly ordinary people performed these acts because they believed it was required. Necessity always appears to play a major role in these scenarios, whether real or contrived. The Zone of Interest depicts a family thriving in what most would consider a horrific position.
It’s the 1940s and commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) is one of Hitler’s rising stars. He is the head of Auschwitz, which is considered one of the most progressive and successful concentration camps, heralded for its innovation and efficiency. His wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), and their children live on a beautiful property just outside the camp’s gates, literally sharing their garden wall with the prison. Hedwig has painstakingly worked to build their home since their arrival a few years earlier, establishing a household that now runs like a well-oiled machine. However, a looming transfer stands to test their marriage and Hedwig’s devotion to the life she designed.
This is a very intriguing look at the Holocaust from a perspective rarely seen. The thought of living adjacent to Auschwitz would make most people’s skin crawl. Yet, the Höss family is flourishing, barely taking notice of the atrocities occurring mere steps away. This ignorance is underlined when Hedwig’s mother visits and is frequently shook by the sounds of screaming, barking and gunfire that carries over the wall. Meanwhile, Hedwig doesn’t miss a beat while boasting about the many enhancements she’s spearheaded in the garden, unphased by the appalling din that plays in the background.
There’s an element of normalcy that is very unsettling. Rudolf is a senior leader with many demands on his time, taking important meetings with inventors, transcribing memos via telephone and attending to his daily duties — but the inventors are proposing more efficient crematoriums, the memos relate to death camps and his primary job is overseeing the murder of thousands. Similarly, Hedwig and the officers’ wives casually compare their bounties from the camp as if they were goods acquired at a market. Yet, both are doting parents with Rudolf making more time for his children than many CEOs. But even in moments of tranquility or routine, audiences are reminded of the true nature of their prosperity: men in camp uniforms performing chores, ashes spread in the garden and the never-ending sound of death.
Then there’s the moments of despair — the nanny drinking through the night, a child sleepwalking, a boy treating his brother cruelly — which are countered by acts of resistance as someone hides food around the work zones. Notably, the latter is even more divergent than just the compassion it displays as it was shot with an infrared camera, making it appear drastically different than the rest of the film. In the end, all of these elements skilfully combine to create a disquieting portrayal of a family deeply embedded in the Nazi regime.
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel and Freya Kreutzkam
