'The Zone of Interest': The Banality of Evil

The Zone of Interest is an adaptation of Martin Amis's novel of the same name. It's a film that proves to be both challenging to watch and complex to dissect. With its central theme revolving around the Holocaust, specifically the experiences of a German family living just a wall away from arguably the most infamous KZ Auschwitz in human history, the film masterfully creates a captivating disconnect between its overall tone and the mundane activities of the central characters. It depicts an unbelievably shocking indifference in the face of humanity's gravest crime. This makes for a highly intricate viewing experience, profoundly disheartening and laden with negativity—a heavy, oppressive, unhappy, uncomfortable, and dreadful piece for those expecting pure, mindless entertainment.

The Zone of Interest stands as one of the few film adaptations that manage to maintain an impressively respectful stance towards the victims, avoiding explicit displays of physical violence. The constructed soundscape is tormenting enough for the audience. However, the atmosphere, static cinematography, and the decisive score, especially the background noise that would disturb any viewer—the "white noise" of Auschwitz's constant hum of crematoriums, human wails, and the distant shots fired—are all discernible. The inhumane indifference and evident guilt displayed by the characters in The Zone of Interest, whether indoors or outdoors, are shockingly portrayed. Any viewer with enough imagination and basic historical knowledge can grasp what transpires behind the walls protected by barbed wire.

In less than two hours, The Zone of Interest gathers monotonous, repetitive snippets of everyday life in a German household, seemingly irrelevant to the surrounding environment. From riverside picnics to well-stocked lunches and dinners, engaging garden games, and serene nights without sleep difficulties, the audience witnesses a logarithmic increase in hatred among all family members, including some children, as the story unfolds.

The Zone of Interest also captures fleeting moments of hope and human consciousness without blaming all Germans on Earth equally responsible for what occurred. The visiting grandmother cannot bear to overlook the crematorium at night. One child consistently uses the first-floor isolation room to avoid hearing the noises from Auschwitz. A maid endeavors to sneak out at night, scattering apples in the peripheral area of Auschwitz, where Jews were forced into slave labor constructing the railway.

The Jewish victims of Auschwitz's atrocities never appear on the screen in The Zone of Interest. However, Rudolf Höss cannot resist bringing remnants of his work home. In one scene, he hunches over the bathroom sink, blowing the black ash from his nose into the basin. In another bathroom scene, he cautiously cleans himself in a place hidden from his family, implying a rape crime that would leave fatal stains.

Another scene displays a close-up shot of Rudolf Höss standing at attention during work, with only his body in the frame. But the background is filled with the heartbreaking screams and gunfire. The Zone of Interest allows the audience to speculate on what types of inhuman crimes might be happening beyond their view. In another scene, Hedwig Höss gossips at the kitchen table, chatting with a visiting female friend. In the adjacent room, Rudolf Höss and some of his SS colleagues sit at a table, engaging in more sinister dialogue: they discuss the best methods to design and place gas chamber equipment. The Nazi officers talk about the gas chamber procedures as if discussing routine assembly line processes in a factory—not burning people alive, letting their bodies relax, dumping the bodies, and then murdering more innocent people in the gas chambers. The dogs in Rudolf Höss's home receive more goodwill and respect than the Jews being slaughtered by these hate-fueled fanatics.

In another scene, Rudolf Höss calls to scold someone for ensuring special care for the lilac bushes in Auschwitz. He threatens that anyone making the lilac bushes "bleed" will face consequences. In the backyard garden of Rudolf Höss's home, flowers receive better care than the hungry, tortured, and murdered people in Auschwitz. This is yet another example of Adolf Hitler's followers, like Rudolf Höss and Hedwig Höss, disregarding Jewish lives.

This film serves as a reminder of the "Banality of Evil" in history. It effectively underscores that the Holocaust didn't happen suddenly but gradually, and it warns us that everything could come back without prior notice.