The Zone of Interest

The Zone of Interest

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9 / 10

1 Review

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Overview

The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.

Media

Jonathan Glazer, Sandra Hüller & Christian Friedel on The Zone of Interest | NYFF61

Cast

Christian Friedel

Johann Karthaus

Luis Noah Witte

Director:

Jonathan Glazer

Release Date:

2023-12-15

Run Time:

105m

Genres:

Keywords:

1940s auschwitz-birkenau concentration camp based on novel or book based on true story biography commandant complicity concentration camp garden genocide holocaust (shoah) husband wife relationship nazi nazi officer nazismo segunda guerra mundial world war ii

Financials and Popularity

Budget: 15,000,000.00$

Revenue: 52,631,884.00$

Vote Average: 7.0/10

Vote Count: 2592 Votes

Movie Popularity: 6.1527

Spoken Languages: German, Polish, Yiddish

Review

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Insomniacs Reviews
- 29 April 2026 at 9:10 pm

9 Based on 1 Votes
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⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10 THE SUMMARY Jonathan Glazer delivers one of the most chilling films ever made without showing a single drop of blood. The story follows the domestic life of Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, and his wife Hedwig as they strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden right next to the camp. It is a high-quality, clinical look at the "banality of evil," where the horrors of the Holocaust are only heard—screams, gunshots, and the constant hum of the machinery of death—just over the garden wall. It’s an honest, disturbing masterpiece that forces you to look at how humans can normalize the unthinkable. THE PROS This earns its 9/10 and "Epic Status" because it is a high-quality achievement in sound design and visual restraint. The audio is the absolute business; the constant, low-level industrial drone and distant shouts create a legendary sense of dread that stays with you long after the film ends. Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller are total winners, giving sincere and terrifyingly mundane performances as a couple more concerned with their garden and status than the genocide happening meters away. It’s a 9/10 because Glazer’s choice to use hidden cameras and natural light makes it feel like an honest, voyeuristic look into history rather than a dramatized movie. It’s an epic status shout because it reinvents how we process historical trauma on screen, making it high-quality art that is deeply necessary. THE CONS It misses the perfect 10/10 mark because it is, by design, an incredibly difficult and detached watch. The pacing is a deliberate slow-roller that might feel sluggish to those expecting a more traditional narrative structure. Some of the experimental segments, like the thermal-camera night scenes, might be a bit of a head-scratcher for viewers looking for a straightforward historical drama. It hits the 9 because it is perfect at what it does, but its clinical coldness makes it a film you respect more than one you’d call a "banger" for a casual night in. THE VERDICT A 9/10. An epic status achievement that is a winner for anyone who appreciates cinema as a high-quality, thought-provoking tool. It’s a legendary, sincere look at the darkest parts of human nature that avoids all the usual tropes. While it’s an honest and brutal sit, the craftsmanship is absolute quality. A total shout for fans of serious, world-class filmmaking that leaves a lasting impact. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA • Dual Films: To keep the sound honest and haunting, the sound designer spent a year creating an entire "second movie" made only of audio—the sounds of the camp—which was then layered over the footage of the family’s peaceful garden life.• Hidden Cameras: The house was rigged with up to ten hidden cameras at once, with the actors performing entire scenes without any crew in the room. This high-quality technique allowed for a sincere, fly-on-the-wall feel where the actors didn't know which camera was capturing them.• Modern Connection: The high-quality ending of the film, which features a legendary and sudden jump to the modern-day Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, was an honest choice by Glazer to remind the audience that these events aren't just "history," but a reality we still maintain and remember. THE VIBE Like a beautiful garden covered in invisible ash. It smells of blooming roses, fresh laundry, and the metallic tang of a distant furnace.

Videos

Jonathan Glazer, Sandra Hüller & Christian Friedel on The Zone of Interest | NYFF61

Cast

Christian Friedel

Johann Karthaus

Luis Noah Witte

Nele Ahrensmeier

Anastazja Drobniak

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The Zone of Interest

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 29 April 2026 at 10:10 PM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10
THE SUMMARY
Jonathan Glazer delivers one of the most chilling films ever made without showing a single drop of blood. The story follows the domestic life of Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, and his wife Hedwig as they strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden right next to the camp. It is a high-quality, clinical look at the “banality of evil,” where the horrors of the Holocaust are only heard—screams, gunshots, and the constant hum of the machinery of death—just over the garden wall. It’s an honest, disturbing masterpiece that forces you to look at how humans can normalize the unthinkable.
THE PROS
This earns its 9/10 and “Epic Status” because it is a high-quality achievement in sound design and visual restraint. The audio is the absolute business; the constant, low-level industrial drone and distant shouts create a legendary sense of dread that stays with you long after the film ends. Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller are total winners, giving sincere and terrifyingly mundane performances as a couple more concerned with their garden and status than the genocide happening meters away. It’s a 9/10 because Glazer’s choice to use hidden cameras and natural light makes it feel like an honest, voyeuristic look into history rather than a dramatized movie. It’s an epic status shout because it reinvents how we process historical trauma on screen, making it high-quality art that is deeply necessary.
THE CONS
It misses the perfect 10/10 mark because it is, by design, an incredibly difficult and detached watch. The pacing is a deliberate slow-roller that might feel sluggish to those expecting a more traditional narrative structure. Some of the experimental segments, like the thermal-camera night scenes, might be a bit of a head-scratcher for viewers looking for a straightforward historical drama. It hits the 9 because it is perfect at what it does, but its clinical coldness makes it a film you respect more than one you’d call a “banger” for a casual night in.
THE VERDICT
A 9/10. An epic status achievement that is a winner for anyone who appreciates cinema as a high-quality, thought-provoking tool. It’s a legendary, sincere look at the darkest parts of human nature that avoids all the usual tropes. While it’s an honest and brutal sit, the craftsmanship is absolute quality. A total shout for fans of serious, world-class filmmaking that leaves a lasting impact.
INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
• Dual Films: To keep the sound honest and haunting, the sound designer spent a year creating an entire “second movie” made only of audio—the sounds of the camp—which was then layered over the footage of the family’s peaceful garden life.
• Hidden Cameras: The house was rigged with up to ten hidden cameras at once, with the actors performing entire scenes without any crew in the room. This high-quality technique allowed for a sincere, fly-on-the-wall feel where the actors didn’t know which camera was capturing them.
• Modern Connection: The high-quality ending of the film, which features a legendary and sudden jump to the modern-day Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, was an honest choice by Glazer to remind the audience that these events aren’t just “history,” but a reality we still maintain and remember.
THE VIBE
Like a beautiful garden covered in invisible ash. It smells of blooming roses, fresh laundry, and the metallic tang of a distant furnace.

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