Director: Jonathan Glazer Studio: A24 Genre(s): Drama Rated: PG-13 (For thematic material, some suggestive material and smoking) |
"The Zone of Interest" opens with a black screen and music that is so haunting you think you are about to watch a horror movie. In a way, we are, though it is not readily apparent. The black screen lingered so long that I was surprised that the first images I saw were of a family having a picnic near the lake. They are playing catch, swimming, and just having a good time. All the while there was a strange rumbling in the back speakers. It sounded like murmurs were in the background. The bass was so loud I was wondering if the movie next door was spilling over or if the sound system was broken.
Yet the noises continued as the family went home. When it is time for bed the family falls asleep to this rumble as well as what sounds like screams of women and children. As the movie goes on and we see more of the family's life, the horror of what we are witnessing becomes clearer and clearer. "The Zone of Interest" is not a movie with a straightforward plot. While there is a "what" the movie is about, this is a movie that is putting forward an experience rather than a straightforward narrative. As more details are revealed, we are faced with the nightmare that is this family's life: they live right next door to the concentration camp in Auschwitz.
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