The Zone of Interest is a historical drama about Rudolf Höss, his wife Hedwig and their children. The time period is 1943 and we first see the family at a lake relaxing and playing in the water, the idyllic setting is green and lush, the family is relaxed and enjoying each others company.
Hedwig loves their house which is surrounded by vegetable and flower gardens, by all outward appearances the families life is perfect.
The sound design of this film tells another story. Rudolf Höss is the German Nazi commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp and the families dream home is right next to the camp. The sound track includes dogs barking, gunshots, trains and shouting with an occasional scream. The background sounds never bother the Höss family, they go through life as if the camp doesn't exist.
The Zone of Interest is two films: the families story and the sound. The sounds are are subtle and haunting, nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Sound, it may win. The film needs to be watched in Atmos surround sound with a subwoofer or in the theater, not because of the visuals but because the sound design is immersive, the viewer is surrounded by the constant, quiet, background horror. TV sound or a soundbar just won't cut it, half of the movie will be missed, which would be a shame.
In an Anatomy of a Scene, writer and director Jonathan Glazer narrates a sequence from his Oscar-nominated Holocaust drama
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/movies/zone-of-interest-clip.htmlThe Zone of Interest is powerful, thought provoking and one of the best films of 2023. In German with subtitles.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-vfg3KkV5493% on RT
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_zone_of_interest 
