It won Grand Prize at Cannes 2023, and now Jonathan Glazer’s unflinching but oblique Holocaust drama is coming to cinemas. Brace yourself—this one’s not an easy watch.
When is The Zone of Interest being released in New Zealand?
The Zone of Interest is in New Zealand cinemas from February 22.
The Zone of Interest
What is The Zone of Interest about?
It’s about as depressing and unsettling a topic you can imagine: the domestic life of Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss, circa 1943. While the Commandant, his wife Hedwig, and their strapping little übermenschen lead an idyllic, pastoral life, we can’t forget the atrocities of the Holocaust, as their charming country house is right next door to Auschwitz, and we can hear what’s going on the whole damn time.
Based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis (and, sadly, real events), it’s a chilling portrait of everyday evil, with the happy, mundane lives of the Höss family counterpointed by the unspeakable crimes that enable their domestic bliss. We don’t actually see much of it, but the Holocaust’s presence is palpable, evident in everything from the casual antisemitism of the main characters to, in one particularly unsettling scene, one of their kids playing with a box of gold teeth.
The cast of The Zone of Interest
Christian Friedel is Rudolf Höss, Sandra Hüller is Hedwig Höss, and Ralph Herforth, Daniel Holzberg, Sascha Maaz, Freya Kreutzkam, Imogen Kogge, Johann Karthaus, and Lilli Falk are in supporting roles.
The Zone of Interest trailer
Why we’re excited about The Zone of Interest
Glazer, who gave us Under the Skin a decade ago, is both a consummate stylist and a filmmaker of serious artistic intent, and it’s actually kind of rare to get those two dice to come up boxcars. He’s not exactly prolific, though, so we’ll always show up when he was a new feature. The subject matter is, of course, grim beyond belief, but if you think you can stomach it, this is a film worth seeking out. And, you know, the five Oscar nominations don’t hurt, either. And if you want a somewhat upbeat coda, remember they hanged Höss in 1947.
