The Zone of Interest

This film is both haunting and horrifying. It concerns the home life of the Commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolph Hoss, and his wife, Hedwig, against the ever present, yet not overtly shown, reality of the Holocaust. It is slow, with no scenes of overt violence, and interludes where only a blank screen is shown, accompanied by a sinister sound track.

The action largely takes place in the Hoss family house, and the garden, the latter being the pride and joy of Hedwig, but which is bounded by a wall, the other side of which is the death camp. There are intermittent sounds of shots, and the sky can be seen stained with the smoke from the furnaces, yet the characters portrayed appear not to pay any attention to such things. There are a number of dream like scenes where a young girl is seen hiding food in places that prisoner work groups would find them, and of some of the countryside where the Germans enjoy themselves, apparently untroubled by any feelings of guilt.

It is basically in German, plus Polish, but it is based loosely on an English novel by the late British author Martin Amis, and was financed largely by a British production company, and as such it won the Oscar for best international feature. All those associated with its production report that it was very difficult to be involved, as the subject is so chilling.

The philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt attended the 1961 trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, and said that what was terrifying about this man was not his moral monstrosity, but his sheer normality. She described what she produced as a report on the banality of evil, and this is true of the film. Those of us raised in a democracy such as Britain find it hard, if not impossible, to relate to those who could lead their lives, talking about unremarkable matters, while just a few yards away, millions of innocent people were being murdered. Hedwig shows some of her true heartlessness when she threatens her Jewish maid with death in the ovens, but for most of the film the actuality of the world in which she lives is never mentioned.

I believe that this film should be required viewing for all those who delight in attacking Israel, as it might enlighten them as to why the Jewish people so desperately need a nation of their own.