2023 Dir: Jonathan Glazer
Can a monster be human or is a monster really a facet of what being human can represent? In various forms throughout history, humans have committed unconscionable atrocities towards each other and in many instances, it can appear human nature continues to gratify an insatiable need to feed its inner beast. Evil can become something one gets used to when notions of superiority, self-preservation and self-contentment is all that matters, even when surrounded with a stark audible contrast.
Audible sounds are at the core of The Zone Of Interest, as Rudolf Höss, his wife Hedwig and their 5 children live in an idyllic household and grounds, alongside a boundary wall of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. Höss was the longest serving commandant of this Nazi concentration camp twice, from 1940 to early 1945.
Ostensibly, what we observe, is the mundane family life of Höss, his commitment to his wife, children and his raising of them like any “normal” family man. There are prisoners from the camp working in the household, attending to its upkeep and doing chores for this German family, while Höss is busy doing his duty for the Third Reich. While his enslaved servants are cruelly exploited, meetings are held in the home to devise methods in which Höss can efficiently exterminate those held hostage in the camp he is overseeing.
What transpires in the concentration camp beyond the garden wall is something that is never seen, only heard. This approach is what lies at the crux of the unsettling power of The Zone Of Interest. While the children play, while the wife is showing off her vegetable/flower garden to her mother, while enslaved prisoners are working around them as though everything is blissful and normal, a cacophony of sounds, (majorly a portent of terror and violence), are heard echoing in the background.
The film doesn’t just contain itself to the household as we witness Höss traipsing around the camp walls on horseback, picturesque sequences of family outings in the surrounding countryside, trips to the local township and headquarters where Höss is engaging with his peers and superiors taking orders, while the local horrors of Auschwitz pervade the atmosphere.
British director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) has ventured into this acclaimed project without resorting to sensationalism or partiality. The film is matter of fact and the technique deployed is more one of observation and even detachment. On-set, static multi camera placement captures the characters movements/actions like a reality network show, natural light is utilised, some sequences also optimise thermal cameras which pick up heat sources where no light source is available, which creates a surreal and uneasy effect.
Not all films require a direct story telling device to assist in engaging the viewer in its proceedings, though in many instances it can help. The Zone Of Interest is more interested in showing the juxtaposition of human nature vs human conscience and when we lose sight of our humanity, we can lose sight of our vital purpose.