We all know about the Holocaust that took place under the direction of Nazi fascists during World War II. Some among us deny that it ever happened. Some may even be vile enough to believe that the people who lost their lives in that horrifically evil moment were somehow deserving of their fate. Most of us struggle to understand the kind of evil that might have led seemingly ordinary people to participate in such a vile attempt to eliminate Jews and others thought to be defective. We simply cannot contemplate or understand such an atrocity and yet if we study enough history we see a dark side of our human natures rising again and again as though we are somehow tainted for all time with the sin of Cain who murdered his brother.
The movie The Zone of Interest directed by Johnathan Glazer is one of the most powerful portraits of the nature of those who supported the genocide of Jews and “misfits” by Adolf Hitler’s Nazis that has ever been filmed. It is a character study of Rudolf Hoss, the commandant and major architect of Auschwitz, and his wife, Hedwig, both of whom lived just behind a wall next to the concentration camp with their five children.
The Zone of Interest never explicitly shows us the horror that is taking place next to the idyllic garden that Hedwig so meticulously planned and developed with the help of prison labor. Nonetheless as we watch the family entertaining guests and enjoying their swimming pool we see the smoke from the crematoriums and hear the gunshots, screams and barking dogs in the midst of the family’s banal conversations. We instinctively know of the horror taking place literally right outside their home and instantly wonder how they were able to be so unconcerned by the killing that became known as “The Hoss Plan.”
The contrast of the seemingly idyllic life of Rudolf and his family is stunning because of their ability to compartmentalize their egregious behavior. They have become able to live a materialistically rich life because of the forced imprisonment, labor and murder of people whose only sin was being of the wrong type. The calm way in which they celebrate and boast of their good fortune makes them so vile that those of us watching the film find ourselves wanting to take hold of them, shake them and demand to know what is wrong with them. The whole situation seems so unbelievable and yet it is so true that we want to turn away, to munch on our popcorn and sip on our sodas even as we feel a sense of shame for just sitting in our seats witnessing the degradation and inhumanity of it all.
The Zone of Interest is a tough watch. It will leave you in an emotional state. It is not entertaining in the general sense of that word but it is something that we should all view. It is a warning of what happens when we see evil but look the other way. It is a reminder of our human tendencies to judge people based on stereotypical “isms.” It is what happens when we fall victim to propaganda and lies. It is our human way of justifying our prejudices and greed.
The title of the movie comes from the word play that Nazis used to refer to the concentration camps. The places where they were located were called zones of interest. The characters in the movie remind us that Hitler’s plan was to rid Europe of the Jews and to overtake the rich land of Eastern Europe for farming and manufacturing. It was an ideology based on a eugenic belief that the Aryan race was superior and therefore deserving of enjoying the fruits of the world. It justified violence and murder by ranking entire races of people as undesirable and unworthy of even living. In Auschwitz alone it resulted in the murder of over one million, one hundred thousand souls.
The Zone of Interest reminds us of the dark nature of humans who have historically enslaved, murdered and stolen from others while justifying their actions with claims of being superior. it shows us how evil can live with itself even in the homes of seemingly normal people. It challenges us to speak out against those who would subjugate and deprive others. It warns us that it can and has happened even in the seemingly most civilized societies. I grows from greed, materialism, prejudice, lies and a lack of empathy. It can consume even those with crucifixes hanging in their homes who say their prayers each night.
The Zone of Interest is a true masterpiece of film that we should all see and discuss. Then we should ask ourselves what suffering in the world we are ignoring even as we see it unfolding. Truth sometimes hurts, but avoiding it leads to horror. We humans still have much work to do.
The Zone of Interest is now showing in a limited number of theaters. HBO has purchased the right to stream it in the near future. Watch it with an open mind. Learn from it. Talk to your family about it. It’s something we all need to do.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 