Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) try to make their perfect life with their five children in their home and gardens alongside the camp. 

The Zone Of Interest is writer/director Jonathan Glazer’s fourth feature and for me, his best. It is an incredibly powerful and disturbing portrayal of Nazi Germany told strictly from the viewpoint of the Hoss family. At no point do we ever venture into the Concentration Camp at Auschwitz or witness any of the atrocities there in. But the evil that is happening behind the walls is perhaps made even more horrific because of the viewpoint this film gives it informed by your knowledge of the Holocaust. 

The Hoss family have a beautiful home with beautiful gardens. Hedwig is incredibly proud of what they have created. Whilst Rudolf enjoys taking his children to the nearby river and riding horseback in the fields. They seem committed to each other and their children giving them an idyllic life. 

But in amongst this beauty and this family making a life for themselves we know something is wrong. Gunshots in the distance. Smoke billowing from chimneys in the evenings. Rudolf leaving his boots outside when he returns from work so his servants can wash the blood from them. And then there is the way that Rudolf refers to his job. He is concerned with productivity and the yields that he can get. He discusses innovative methods to have a furnace that can constantly have chambers in use and thinks about effective gassing strategies. Whilst Hedwig takes clothing, jewellery and lipstick from bags brought to her home, gifting items to friends. 

The evil and horror is insidious. It builds and builds. But what it also does is effectively show you that for these people this was normal. This was their job. A way of life. They were doing what “good Germans” should do. And it is this that is perhaps the most frightening thing of all. 

The Zone Of Interest is a challenging but stunningly effective piece of art.