Ein Film über den Holocaust – aber ganz anders, als man es erwartet.
Drei zehnte Klassen unserer Schule haben The Zone of Interest im Bambi Kino gesehen, einen Film, der nicht nur visuell, sondern vor allem akustisch unter die Haut geht. Während die Bilder scheinbar eine normale Alltagswelt zeigen, erzählen die Geräusche eine beklemmende, unaussprechliche Wahrheit.
Im Geschichtsunterricht haben wir uns mit dem Holocaust beschäftigt, in Deutsch mit politischer Lyrik – und dieser Film schlägt eine Brücke zwischen beidem. Er macht fassungslos, gerade weil er so unaufgeregt bleibt.
Zwei Schüler*innen aus dem Geschichte-Bili-Kurs bei Herrn Tonk haben daraufhin ihre Gedanken in Rezensionen festgehalten. Ihre Eindrücke und Analysen wollen wir euch hier vorstellen:
Movie review: The Zone Of Interest
Although the award-wining movie “The zone of interest” strikes with an incredible concept of portraying the national socialism, the lack of a plot and the ambivalent acting prevent the movie form being a masterpiece. It is a different kind of movie, as the violence of the Nazi-regime is not portrayed directly but the absurdity of the daily life of a concentration camp supervisor living next to the camp is shown in a disturbing way.
The movie starts with a black screen that is, in my opinion, placed too early in the movie. This could be used to let the user process the events of the movie later on. The acting in the beginning seems a bit unprofessional, however this improves throughout the movie. The family of Rudolf Höß, a high-ranking SS-officer, lives directly next to the wall of one of the Auschwitz concentration camps. At one point in the movie, the mother of Rudolf’s wife visits them and his wife gives her a tour through the house and garden. Her mother really liked the garden and plants. They were talking about the beauty of the garden and the wall to the camp as if it was nothing. The absurdity of their life next to the camp is also proven by the constant screams, audible throughout the whole movie. Another really disturbing moment is, when Rudolf should be stationed to another camp and his wife tells him “We have the paradise in front of our door.” This is very ironic, as the concentration camp next to their door is the closest to hell that somebody can get to on earth. The only thing missing in the movie is a plot. The whole movie is filled with mind games yet there is no clear progress to be seen in the story. Rudolf gets promoted and takes part in some SS-meetings but there is also no satisfying end to the movie. Nonetheless this could also be a symbol for live in the camps: You’re hoping for something to change the whole time, but nothing happens.
In conclusion, the movie creates a great contrast between the live of the SS-officer and his family and the live in the camps without showing any graphical content from the camps. Almost everything brutal in this movie happens in the viewers head which leaves room to interpret the thing happening. I would give the movie a four out of five, as I really like the idea and concept, but I am missing the story.
(Ben)
Film review – The zone of interest
The film “The zone of interest” directed by Jonathan Glazer tells the dark story of the NS – regime out of a new perspective. By letting the movie tell the story of a rich privileged family living next to the concentration camps. It shows us the happiness and untroubled life of a seemingly normal family creating a heavy atmosphere for the viewer, who was confronted with the horrible facts of the NS – time all their life.
“The zone of interest” is an amazing and highly needed movie for our society. The movie manages to create a completely new kind of horror relating the topic, causing the audience to be actually touched by these facts they have heard again and again. To intensify this effect the movie makes very unfamiliar directing choices, which leaves the viewer even more unsettled. The horror seems to wait behind every corner. In a small look outside the window, a conversation about curtains or the innocent game of the children. The never-ending irony of this movie makes it stand out, showing us a rich family getting more and more wealthy and fights between the parents, because some parts of the family can already not live without this privilege they are perceiving.
Even though the viewer doesn´t see anything terrible out of an objective perspective, the viewer is horrified by their own associations. Every viewer knows what happened, the movie does not try to teach anything, it does not have to. The director knows that he can put the focus somewhere else, just showing what happened is enough. The amazing acting of the film makes this effect really come together, leaving the viewer feeling like watching a documentary.
All in all, the movie is an interesting, if not important experience to really understand the crimes of WW2 on another level. It is a recommendation for all, ready to be shocked and unsettled.
(Ina)
How films change our minds and actions
Zusätzlich interessant in diesem Zusammenhang die Frage, die Lillie in ihrem Aufsatz stellt, wie Filme unsere Gedanken, Gefühle und Verhaltensweisen beeinflussen. Sie zeigt auf, dass Filme nicht nur unterhalten, sondern auch Meinungen formen, soziale Normen beeinflussen und unser Bewusstsein für bestimmte Themen schärfen können. Ihr Text motiviert dazu, Angebote wie die der Schulkino-Wochen anzunehmen und aufzunehmen als Lernen am anderen Ort 🙂
