La Zone d'intérêt

I knew nothing about this film before the screening and during the first minutes I was afraid it would be overly long, bland, and boring. Then I realised what it was about.

We have arrived at the point where the horror of the Holocaust is so well-known that there is no need to show the inside of the camps anymore. The mere suggestion is enough to imbue the banal with meaning. The Zone of Interest is a bland film and a gruesome audio play in one, twisting everything into a nauseating double-entendre.

Cinematographer Lukasz Zal lets a static camera capture wide frames. He deliberately keeps his distance so we, the audience, can observe. This objective point of view is then contrasted with several artistic moments with negative images or monochromatic slates. Such interpretative inserts don't add anything to the film but don't hurt it either. It underlines the horror. However, the soundscapes by composer Mica Levi push this feeling through much more effectively.

This film is not for the squeamish, even though there is no gore, only sounds. But that is more than enough.