The Nazis' mass slaughter of Jews, Roma, leftists and LGBT people is widely recognized as one of the evilest campaigns in history. Countless movies have depicted the genocide, making the Nazis' evil abundantly clear.
But what about the architects of the genocide? Were they cartoonish villains? This is the subject matter of Jonathan Glazer's Academy Award-winning drama "The Zone of Interest". The focus is on Lt. Col. Rudolf Höß's family, living next to Auschwitz in 1943. They go about their daily lives as though nothing is happening. The mass slaughter is heard but not seen. To those in power, evil acts are nothing to think about.
When Glazer accepted his Oscar, he noted that the movie is about not just the past, but also the present. One could make the argument that contentment with one's existence amounts to complicity in the government's evil deeds, even as I write this. It should also get noted that Glazer's condemnation of Israel's war against Gaza was not a repudiation of his Jewish ancestry, just the use of it to justify mass slaughter.
In the end, this movie should make you understand that almost everyone has a link to evil, even if they don't actively participate. Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller put on fine performances as Rudolf Höß and his wife Hedwig. Definitely see it.
But what about the architects of the genocide? Were they cartoonish villains? This is the subject matter of Jonathan Glazer's Academy Award-winning drama "The Zone of Interest". The focus is on Lt. Col. Rudolf Höß's family, living next to Auschwitz in 1943. They go about their daily lives as though nothing is happening. The mass slaughter is heard but not seen. To those in power, evil acts are nothing to think about.
When Glazer accepted his Oscar, he noted that the movie is about not just the past, but also the present. One could make the argument that contentment with one's existence amounts to complicity in the government's evil deeds, even as I write this. It should also get noted that Glazer's condemnation of Israel's war against Gaza was not a repudiation of his Jewish ancestry, just the use of it to justify mass slaughter.
In the end, this movie should make you understand that almost everyone has a link to evil, even if they don't actively participate. Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller put on fine performances as Rudolf Höß and his wife Hedwig. Definitely see it.