Thomas’s review published on Letterboxd:
A man who tries to balance his family and his career, his wife who cares for her home and her garden, and their children who play like any other children…..and all this right next door to a place of systematic mass murder. Mundane domestic normalcy in midst of moral abnormality of historic proportions is eerie and nauseating to watch. The feeling of dread in this movie is suffocating. “The Zone of Interest” is a film with exceptional framing yet the strongest presence in the movie is what exists outside of the frame. Everything we don´t see but know is happening looms like a shadow over every scene and this is what makes this banal family drama, which is filmed in a detached, alien, you could say Haneke-esque way, almost unbearable to watch. The ability of the human mind to compartmentalize and to accept the most abnormal things as normal is scary as hell. I can´t remember many movie scenes that made me feel as sick in my stomach as three men nonchalantly discussing a new advanced crematorium that would “improve the whole process”. And this is just one of several disturbing, hard-hitting scenes. I think it´s impossible to forget this film and how it makes you feel. It´s a drastic portrayal of the contradictions of the human experience and the banality of evil and an impactful plea against moral compartmentalization, against looking away from evil and lying to yourself. Furthermore, “The Zone of Interest” is simply impeccably crafted. The cinematography is stunning (there are some pan shots that would fit in a Wes Anderson movie if the context wasn´t this abhorrent), the mise-en-scène is engrossing, and sound design and Mica Levi´s otherworldly score add so much to the distressing, uncomfortable atmosphere. Not to mention that Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller deliver fascinating and deeply chilling performances. Jonathan Glazer is an extraordinary filmmaker. I hope we don´t have to wait 10 years again until his next movie….also, the next one doesn´t need to be this grim.
The only “amusing” thought I got out of this watch is that the United Kingdom might win an Oscar with a German-language film.
