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Trailer "The Zone of Interest". In addition to the Best Picture nomination, the film was nominated by the Academy in four categories, including Best International Feature Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. Video : A24
Directed by British director Jonathan Glazer, the film is inspired by the novel of the same name by Martin Amis. Set in the 1940s, it revolves around the life of the family of the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland - Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) - and his wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller).
The film takes the theme of genocide to condemn human indifference. Instead of keeping fictional characters in the story, the director uses the names of real people in history to increase authenticity. Glazer does not describe what happened in the concentration camp - like some works on the same topic - but chooses an indirect way of telling, exploiting the perspective of Rudolf's family.
While her husband oversaw the work at Auschwitz, Hedwig entertained friends and hired local people to help with the housework and tend the garden. In the evenings, Rudolf read bedtime stories to the children. They celebrated birthdays, went on picnics, and made plans for the future.
According to the Guardian , Jonathan Glazer uses images to stimulate the audience's imagination, placing viewers in the context to witness the cruelty of fascism.
Meanwhile, Rudolf and Hedwig pretended that nothing had happened. They talked about their vacation in Italy and their walks together. Rudolf's children were happily going to school, while the previous scene had the sound of children crying.
Behind the scenes of "The Zone of Interest". According to Hollywood Reporter , the crew built the set in houses near the concentration camp area, using only natural light to film. Photo: A24
The music - composed by artist Mica Levi - brings a sense of horror and horror, contributing to the climax. The filmmakers inserted many background sounds, such as gunshots, birds chirping, children and women crying, creating a dark, suffocating atmosphere.
According to Filmmaker , sound designer Johnnie Burn compiled a 600-page document about the events at Auschwitz, witness testimony, and a large map of the concentration camp to accurately determine the distances and echoes of sounds. Burn also spent a year building the sound catalog before shooting.
The Zone of Interest is Jonathan Glazer's fourth feature film, following Sexy Beast (2000), Birth (2004), and Under the Skin (2013). The director told the Los Angeles Times that the film took nearly 10 years to create, including three years of researching Nazi documents. From there, Glazer compiled information about officer Rudolf Höss. Filming began in Auschwitz in 2021, lasting over 55 days.
In an interview with the Guardian , the Jewish director said that the work does not recall the past but reflects the present. According to the director, a few years ago, when he learned that his son was making a film about Nazi Germany, Glazer's father was angry and said: "I don't understand why you are doing this. Why are you digging up this? Let it go."
"I remember saying to him, 'I really wish everything could go away, but no, Dad, this is not a film about the past.' The project is about the present, about human indifference," Glazer said.
Director Jonathan Glazer (left) on the set of "The Zone of Interest". Photo: A24
The success of The Zone of Interest also comes from the performances of Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller. As Rudolf Höss, Friedel portrays cruelty and coldness through his eyes and voice. In many scenes, viewers see the character always pensive and quiet when with his family, while in the concentration camp, he is the one who orders the execution of innocent people.
Sandra Hüller - who received much praise for her role in the 2023 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner Anatomy of a Fall - was "perfect as Hedwig" according to the Guardian .
Hüller shows the character's indifferent, war-indifferent side through his actions and facial expressions, from posing in a fur coat and applying lipstick taken from a Jewish prisoner, to laughing and saying to his birth mother: "Rudi calls me the Queen of Auschwitz".
When she hears that her husband has been transferred to Germany to supervise the concentration camp in Oranienburg, unable to continue living in Poland, Hüller's character screams at her husband: "You can't do this to me! We are living the life we dreamed of." In this scene, the actress shows anger and frustration through her eyes and tone of voice.
A scene from "The Zone of Interest". Photo: A24
It took the artist nearly a year to agree to participate, because before that, she had said she would never act in a film about Nazi Germany, according to Variety . However, Hüller was convinced when she read the script, believing that the director would fully portray the brutality of fascism on screen.
Experts believe that the film is a strong contender for this year's Oscars. On February 27, a member of the short film and animated film voting branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - the organization that organizes the Oscars - predicted that The Zone of Interest would win the Best Picture category.
"The work is not trying to send a message about the brutality of genocide, but rather a metaphor for how terrible things are happening around the world while people continue their normal lives," he said.
At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the project won the Grand Prix and the FIPRESCI Prize voted by international film critics. Variety commented: "The film is cold and profound, bringing the dark side of humanity to light and examining it closely." The India Times wrote: "The work is a testament to Glazer's ambitious vision, challenging viewers' understanding of the darkest period of history and provoking reflection on the inhumane acts that continue to exist today."
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