Fresh from winning two Academy Awards last Sunday, Jonathan Glazer's terrifying Holocaust movie “The Zone of Interest” will have its streaming premiere on Max on April 5.
The acclaimed film, “The Zone of Interest,” features Christian Friedel as Rudolf Höss, the Nazi commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and Oscar nominee Sandra Huller as his wife, Hedwig. It was the recipient of the Academy Awards for Best International Feature and Best Sound, and also earned the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
The movie does not explicitly show the genocidal actions of the Nazis, instead focusing on the daily lives of the Höss family living next to the concentration camp, where the sounds of gunfire, gas chambers, and furnaces serve as a backdrop to normal activities like gardening and children playing.
“The Zone of Interest” was highly praised for its portrayal of the ordinary nature of evil. It received nominations at the Oscars for Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay.
In In his acceptance speech for Best International Feature, Glazer drew parallels between the dehumanization depicted in his film and events such as the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7 and the subsequent Israeli military occupation of Palestine. This occupation has resulted in the deaths of many Gazans.
Glazer stated, “All our choices were made to prompt reflection and confront the current state of affairs. Our film does not seek to say 'look what they did then,' but rather, 'look at what we are doing now.' It shows the devastating consequences of dehumanization at its most extreme, influencing both the past and present.”
He continued, “We are here to express our refusal to allow our Jewish identity and the Holocaust to be overshadowed by an occupation that has caused suffering for countless innocent individuals. Whether it's the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing assault on Gaza, they are all victims of dehumanization. How do we resist this?”
