The Zone of Interest

The biggest strength of this film is the extreme contrast between the story of the Höss family and the story taking place on the other side of the wall. The former gets most of the attention, with the movie playing out like a slice-of-life family drama. But the latter, which exists only in the background, unspoken and off screen for most of the film, is what packs the punch. The writers leverage the knowledge that most audiences already have - we all know what was happening. And that's where the contrast is - watching a man help orchestrate one of humanity's darkest moments without any acknowledgement is disturbingly compelling. That said, this isn't my favorite kind of film, as it feels less focused on building a narrative arc and more focused on the thematic ideas. Just a little too arthouse for my tastes.

This is a nearly perfect movie, from Hüller's performance, to the editing, to cinematography, production design, and I don't even need to mention sound. I'll admit it almost lost me in the middle, but there are enough memorable scenes throughout to land it firmly on the "Best Films I'll Never Watch Again" list. By keeping the truth of the holocaust just offscreen, Glazer lets the horror of that knowledge grow in the viewer's mind far more effectively than if he had put some horrible image on screen (this is Spielberg's Jaws effect). And it's that constant knowledge, juxtaposed with images of pretty flowers that so effectively creates this "Horror through Complacency," putting the viewer squarely in the shoes of the Höss family. Glazer is pointing the finger at you, at the audience, at the world, demanding "how do you live with yourself!?" He calls into question not only the actions of those involved at Auschwitz, but of humanity's actions across history, into the present. As we say every year at Passover, "If not me, who? If not now, when?"