Random Movie Review - The Zone of Interest

 

It's time for another A24 film! Lately the distribution company has, for the last few years, made a splash in film awards. Best Picture, Best Director and more, while also being one of a few companies allowed to continue film making during the 2023 screen actor and writer strikes due to them not being associated with the group that the major studios are part of. They are mainly known for their arthouse productions, but also known to trust the filmmakers and let them do what they need to do to make their films. Bringing us to this film, which is based both on true events and a novel of the same name. War films usually do well in awards season anyway, and I suspect this will be no exception. So let's see what is INTERESTING about this ZONE, if you pardon the pun:

The year is 1943 and the commandant of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Rudolf Hoss (played by Christian Friedel) is living his idyllic life with his wife and children. He also has servants, pets and more despite the war happening not too far away. A dream he has always wanted, but may soon be in vain when he hears word about being reassigned elsewhere and must figure out how to come clean to his family about that. All while during the night, a Polish girl leaves food out for the prisoners to claim, and we hear a demonic noise as that happens.

This film is one of those films that feels like it has hidden cameras everywhere, and we're just watching a family live their idyllic life. It does mean that if you have a short attention span, you may struggle to watch this film. But overall, it's not a typical A24 film (if such a thing exists), but does have the vibes of one. It's very chilling and a very well-made film. The only real issue I had, was the subtitles blending into the scenes where it's white, which can be an issue, but may not be a big one depending on how and where you watch this. But definitely lives up to the name of giving us a zone that is interesting. 9.5/10