A scene from ‘The Zone of Interest’

TIFF ’23 Review: ‘The Zone of Interest’ is a chilling portrait of a Nazi family

‘The Zone of Interest’ depicts a respected German family during WWII, juxtaposing normal routines with the atrocities of the Holocaust.

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. 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.

In the end, all of these elements skilfully combine to create a disquieting portrayal of a family deeply embedded in the Nazi regime.

The Zone of Interest had its Canadian premiere in the Special Presentations programme at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Read other reviews from the festival.

Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel and Freya Kreutzkam

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘John Wick 3: Parabellum’ delves deeper and hits harder (Includes first-hand account)

    Action movies and thrillers driven by revenge have been commonplace since the ‘70s. When someone with access to a gun or other weapons is wronged, it seems to be a recipe for enacting cold, hard, brutal vengeance against everyone responsible. But “every action has a consequence” and unflinching, ruthless violence is bound to eventually draw blood from a forbidden pool. Running only gets you so far and then confrontation, surrender or – if you’re lucky – negotiation become the only options. In John Wick 3: Parabellum, the title character opts for all-out war against anyone who tries to stand in his way.

  • Review: ‘Live by Night’ could have benefitted from greater focus (Includes first-hand account)

    The gangster movie has always been a staple of cinema, from the 1930s black-and-white Little Caesar and The Public Enemy to The Godfather, Scarface (remake) and Goodfellas. Audiences are fascinated by the career criminal and his rise to be king of the mountain… before he’s inevitably knocked down by another ambitious crook. The façade that they are simply businessmen that handle more “delicate” merchandise and take a keen interest in managing the competition has always been one of the more intriguing aspects of their personalities — the ability to compartmentalize, rationalize and, when all else fails, deny. Live by Night is slightly more complex as its protagonist has always had higher, more sensitive aspirations.

  • Review: ‘Tangerine’ is about more than a commonplace camera (Includes first-hand account)

    There was a trend in ‘90s and early 2000s cinema to build narratives around provocative characters without a specific or traditional story attached. The film simply chronicled a day in their lives in which they were forced to manage a certain uncommon situation or as they went about their daily routine, introducing viewers to other fascinating personalities and lifestyles. They often unfolded amongst society’s disadvantaged, and were the bread-and-butter of indie filmmakers. Tangerine revisits this story structure with style and energy while being shot entirely on the iPhone 5S.