As a film enthusiast with a deep appreciation for historical dramas, I must say that “The Zone of Interest” is a powerful and thought-provoking cinematic journey. The movie masterfully captures the complexities and horrors of the Holocaust through the lens of those who perpetrated it, offering a unique perspective that is both chilling and enlightening.
Studio A24, located in Manhattan, has consistently encouraged viewers to delve beneath the surface with its thought-provoking films that push boundaries and change perceptions. Their most renowned movies follow this pattern, and “The Zone of Interest” from 2023 is no exception. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, this film offers a unique perspective on the Holocaust, focusing on an Auschwitz commandant who resides close to the camp. The film was awarded the Academy Awards for best international feature film and best sound, with its exceptional use of audio being crucial to the story. It skillfully integrates cries and screams into the score to symbolize the agony taking place at the camp.
In our critique of “The Zone of Interest,” Looper hinted that the movie powerfully conveys the notion of evil’s ordinary nature and offers an ending that, upon further understanding, is deeply unsettling. After a grand celebration, Commandant Höss stumbles down a dimly lit staircase, gasping and heaving, pausing occasionally along the way. He then gazes towards a dark window with light filtering through it before the scene transitions to modern-day Auschwitz, now serving as a museum. This sequence culminates in a moment that relies heavily on background sounds, compelling viewers to scrutinize the visuals more intently. Ultimately, Glazer provides a grim finale that leaves you feeling queasy once you grasp its true implications.
What you need to remember about the plot of The Zone of Interest
“The Zone of Interest
The movie portrays the ordinary interactions and happenings within the family, while also highlighting significant shifts that influence them and Auschwitz. For instance, we see Höss supervising internal renovations in the camp, which amplify the cruelty. Eventually, he is advanced to deputy overseer of concentration camps and relocates to Berlin. The film concludes with the revelation that Höss will manage the deportation of numerous Hungarian Jews to different concentration and extermination camps. As he departs his office, a sense of nausea overtakes him as he gazes into a gloomy passageway.
What does the ending of The Zone of Interest mean?
Toward the close of “The Zone of Interest,” Commandant Rudolf Höss joins other Nazis at a gathering. Later, he makes his way down a staircase and begins to vomit. Instead of a dimly lit corridor, the camera shifts to modern-day Auschwitz – now a museum detailing the torment inflicted and honoring the victims who perished there. The story implies that Höss’s sickness stems from the stark awareness that he will forever be known as a cruel man who ruthlessly claimed countless lives.
At this point, the true wickedness of his deeds and the role his thoughts played in escalating the horrors perpetrated by the Nazi party becomes apparent. He cannot undo the past, so he looks ahead. Consequently, the scene shifts to contemporary Auschwitz, a location where Höss was once admired by his peers and struck terror into the hearts of innocents. Now, it serves as a reminder of how his actions contributed significantly to one of humanity’s darkest periods in time.
The discussion between Höss and his wife prior to his illness might provide further insight into the movie’s ending. During their phone call, he confides that he was contemplating the most effective method for eliminating everyone at the gathering. His indifferent tone mirrors the emotionless demeanor he maintains throughout the film. It appears that this conversation may have been the final straw – it seems as though he could no longer suppress the reality of his involvement in the torment and murder of countless innocent people, which ultimately led to his sudden illness.
Another possible explanation for The Zone of Interest’s ending
The violent vomiting seen in Rudolf Höss might suggest that he was suffering from an illness brought on by his prolonged exposure to the chemicals and ashes from the camp, given his close proximity to the site where he oversaw the enhancements of gas chambers and crematoriums at Auschwitz. This would explain why he remained at the camp despite the horrific nature of his actions.
Is his vomiting a dramatic portrayal on screen of how his terrible deeds have made him ill? At the start, an employee cleans blood from the commander’s boots upon his arrival from work. In the middle of the film, the commander is swimming with his children and discovers a human jawbone in the water. They quickly leave for home where the commander and his children take baths. Ashes of a human are visible in the tub as the commander cleans up.
Though Auschwitz itself isn’t extensively shown, its towering smokestacks are prominently featured. The ominous clouds of dark smoke emanating from these stacks offer viewers a bleak understanding of the activities within. This visual representation also hints at potential air contamination, suggesting that the inhabitants in the surrounding areas have been breathing in human ash and possibly toxic substances for an extended period. Moreover, it’s not just through the air and water that this community is consuming human remains; a scene depicts a worker utilizing human ash as fertilizer in one of the gardens at the residence.
Hedwig’s role in the ending of The Zone of Interest explained
Similar to Rudolf Höss, Hedwig, his wife, seems oblivious to the pain happening just beyond their peaceful abode. In numerous aspects, they mutually foster each other’s wickedness. As the final interlocutor in the film for Rudolf, their conversation reveals her indifference as they discuss his upcoming mission and his suggestion to eliminate everyone at a gathering. She appears unaffected by anything he proposes, and her attitude might play a significant role in sustaining Rudolf’s conviction about his work.
In the scene where Rudolph vomits, Hedwig carries on with life much as she usually does. It seems she’s deeply connected to their home and the prestige it provides them in the Nazi society, insisting they remain there after learning about Rudolph’s relocation. The movie suggests that Hedwig, similar to her husband, has employed compartmentalization to ignore the harsh truth of their circumstances. She accepts clothes from those who perished in the camp (even a fur coat) without much thought and talks about her questionable possessions over tea with friends as if they were ordinary items.
During their time at Auschwitz, it seems that both Hedwig and the commandant shared a similar perspective. Nevertheless, Hedwig’s emotional detachment is crucial because it enables Rudolph to disassociate from the grim reality of his actions as soon as he returns home. It might not be mere coincidence that Rudolph fell sick after speaking with Hedwig on the phone. Her unmoved response when Rudolph shared his thoughts about optimizing gas chambers in Berlin may have been the catalyst for his realization of the atrocities he was involved in.
How historically accurate is The Zone of Interest?
Rudolf Höss served as the actual commander of Auschwitz concentration camp starting in 1940, making him its longest-serving leader. Over a million people lost their lives at this camp. As portrayed in the novel “The Zone of Interest,” the Höss family resided nearby in a tranquil home within the 16-square-mile zone, which was governed by the Schutzstaffel (SS) and forbidden to the general public. The film illustrates that many of their possessions were confiscated from the camp. In accordance with Time magazine’s report, the real villa resembles the depicted two-story building complete with a garden, just as in the movie. Similarly, the children in “The Zone of Interest” played near a river, and this was also true for the Höss children in reality.
In his autobiography titled “Commandant of Auschwitz,” Höss asserted that his wife Hedwig was oblivious to the atrocities happening within the camp. However, as Meilan Solly, Senior Associate Digital Editor for Smithsonian Magazine, notes, this claim seems questionable. The evidence points towards a different reality: the Hösses enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, using prisoners as forced labor and confiscating valuable items from the deceased, such as luxury furs, cooking supplies, jewelry, and leather goods. These inmates were essentially enslaved for their labor.
How did it end for the Höss family in real life?
In actuality, Rudolph Höss orchestrated the transportation of over 400,000 Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz during Operation Höss, as depicted in the film. However, it fails to portray what transpired after the Nazis’ defeat. As the Allies triumphed in the war, many Nazi fugitives sought refuge in South America. Unlike his fellow Nazis, Höss remained in Germany, adopting the alias Franz Lang and settling in Flensburg to work on a farm. Eventually, it was Hedwig who exposed his location.
In an attempt to increase our chances of avoiding capture, Hedwig and us children chose to part ways from Rudolph, seeking shelter in an ancient sugar factory in St. Michaelisdonn. For a remarkable year, we eluded those searching for us, but it was relentless Hanns Alexander who led the pursuit – a German Jew who foresaw the impending doom of the 1930s and made the decision to settle in London. Returning to Germany with British soldiers, he dedicated himself to tracking down war criminals, and eventually, we were found – Hedwig and the offspring of Höss.
According to Brigitte, their daughter, Rudolf later disclosed that his older brother Klaus was deeply attached to their mother. It was reported by The Washington Post. Klaus had been severely beaten by the British, and their mother could hear him crying in pain from an adjacent room. As any loving mother would, she tried to shield her son by revealing where their father was hiding. However, Rudolf attempted to conceal his identity when the British found him on his farm, but a wedding ring engraved with his and Hedwig’s names betrayed him. Ultimately, Rudolf was executed at Auschwitz, the location of his heinous acts.
What has Christian Friedel said about the ending of The Zone of Interest?
For Christian Friedel, portraying Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, involved seeking opportunities to convey emotion and humanity within an unsavory character, while avoiding stereotypes without glorifying him. He explained to The Hollywood Reporter, “The task was to locate those moments, consider their origins, and attempt to find a link with my own identity. It was a complex quest, but I believed it was necessary so that he didn’t appear solely as the monster or the criminal.
Friedel suggests that the scene where Höss vomits in the closing moments of the film represents a disturbing emergence of his hidden traumas. He explained to The Film Stage, “I was quite apprehensive about this scene since Jonathan is on a quest for truth, and I’d say the entire production was essentially a search.
The actor shared with The Wrap that he watched the full film for the first time and saw the final version of the ending, which was a significant experience. He clarified, “The ending had been scripted, but not how Jonathan chose to edit it. I watched the movie alongside Sandra [Hüller, who portrays his character’s wife Hedwig], as we both exclaimed ‘Wow’ when we saw that ending because it was so intense.
Why was present-day Auschwitz shown at the end of The Zone of Interest?
Director Jonathan Glazer chose to conclude the film at contemporary Auschwitz because, during a visit, he observed workers maintaining and preparing the site for visitors, likening their actions to tending graves. He noted that although commandant Höss is no more than ashes now, the museum itself and its significance persist. By integrating the museum into the ending, Glazer aimed to draw a clear line between the past and the present.
During Glazer’s tour of Auschwitz prior to filming, he felt uncertain if he should proceed with the project. Yet, stepping foot in the camp and laying eyes on the Höss residence left an indelible impact on him. This encounter served to reinforce the sheer wickedness of those who ran the camp. As he put it, “Standing there, within that space, what resonated with me was the nearness of it to the camp.” The house and Auschwitz shared a wall, implying that the horrors were occurring just on the other side. Moreover, he struggled to comprehend how someone could live in such a place, raise a family there, and asked himself, “What kind of soul must one possess?
The movie has received overwhelmingly positive reviews (it currently holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), making Glazer delighted. However, as a London-born director, he is eager to move past this project because the extensive research for it was quite demanding. He expressed, “My bookshelves at home are filled with books about the topic, and I’m looking forward to getting rid of them and leaving the filmmaking process behind.” Reflecting on the experience, he mentioned, “It has been a challenging journey.
How The Zone of Interest differs from the book it’s based on
The movie draws inspiration, but not strictly follows, the plot of Martin Amis’ novel “The Zone of Interest.” Published in 2014, this book revolves around three characters: Paul Doll, a commandant at the camp, who grows suspicious about his wife’s relationship with Nazi officer Angelus Thomsen; Szmul Zacharias, a Jewish prisoner; and another character whose love triangle aspect Jonathan Glazer chose to avoid in the movie adaptation. Instead, Glazer was interested in portraying the story from the perspective of those managing the camp, which is a significant focus in the book.
As a gamer, I found this book to be incredibly bold in its unflinching portrayal of a particular mindset, making me squirm with discomfort at times, as Glazer shared with the magazine. The story features a love triangle, but honestly, that aspect didn’t appeal to me initially. However, once I delved into it, the book became a captivating seed in my mind. It was just a small spark, but boy, what an impactful spark it was!
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2024-11-11 22:30