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The Zone of Interest(2023)

PG-13
1h 45m

Release Date: Dec 8, 2023 | Moderate

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

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Director & Top Cast

Jonathan Glazer
Director

Christian Friedel
Rudolf Höss

Sandra Hüller
Hedwig Höss

Johann Karthaus
Claus Höss

Luis Noah Witte
Hans Höss

Nele Ahrensmeier
Inge-Brigitt Höss

Lilli Falk

Heideraud Höss

Anastazja Drobniak

Annagret Höss

Cecylia Pekala

Annagret Höss

Kalman Wilson

Annagret Höss

Medusa Knopf

Elfryda

Max Beck

Schwarzer

Slava the Dog

Dilla

Andrey Isaev

Bronek

Julia Babiarz

Young Polish Housemaid

Stephanie Petrowitz

Sophie

Martyna Poznanski

Marta

Zuzanna Kobiela

Aniela

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio: 1.78 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United Kingdom,Poland,United States

Language: German,Polish,Yiddish

Summaries

Plot Summary

In 1943, Rudolf Höss, commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, lives with his wife Hedwig and their five children in an idyllic home next to the camp. Höss takes the children out to swim and fish, and Hedwig spends time tending the garden. Servants handle chores and the prisoners' belongings are given to the family. Beyond the garden wall, gunshots, shouting and sounds of trains and furnaces are audible. Höss approves the design of a new crematorium, which will soon become operational. Höss notices human remains in the river. He gets his children out of the water and sends a note to camp personnel, chastising them for their carelessness. It is implied that he has sexual relations with prisoners in his office. Meanwhile, a Polish girl who lives nearby sneaks out every night, hiding food at the prisoners' work sites for them to find and eat. Höss receives word that he is being promoted to deputy inspector of all concentration camps and must relocate to Oranienburg, near Berlin. He objects to no avail and withholds the news from Hedwig for several days. Hedwig, deeply attached to their home, begs him to convince his superiors to let her and the children remain. The request is approved and Höss moves. Hedwig's mother comes to stay but is horrified at the sight of the crematorium flames at night and departs, leaving behind a note that an irate Hedwig burns after reading. Months after arriving in Berlin, in recognition of his work, Höss is tasked with heading an operation named after him that will transport 700,000 Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz to be killed. This allows him to move back to Auschwitz and reunite with his family. He vacantly attends a party celebrating the operation and confesses to Hedwig over the phone that he spent his time there thinking about the most efficient way to gas the room. As Höss leaves his Berlin office descending a stairway, he stops and retches repeatedly and stares into the darkness. In the present day, a group of janitors clean the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Back in 1943, Höss proceeds downstairs.

Storyline

German-occupied Poland, summer of 1943. More than anything, Hedwig, an indefatigable mother of five, wants to keep her well-organised life as is. After all, she has worked her fingers to the bone to create a fragrant slice of paradise to raise her children, and nothing will change that. If only her husband, the distinguished SS officer and Auschwitz commander Rudolf Hoess , weren't always burdened by his duties. But perfection is a fleeting illusion. As the oblivious life of the commandant's wife unravels in cloudless bliss, Rudolf finds himself swamped with work, saddled with testing a new ventilation design and overseeing the installation of a highly effective Topf and Sons multi-muffle, non-stop incineration oven system. Indeed, it's hard to imagine that just a hair's breadth away from the peaceful and idyllic Höss household, the unimaginable horrors of the Final Solution were unfolding in full swing. And as noisome fumes and muffled, blood-curdling noises blemish Hedwig's fragrant utopia, a question emerges. When evil becomes banal and apathy requires no effort, what separates man from beast? — Nick Riganas For Rudolf Hoss, life is good. He lives in a big house the country with his wife and five children, whom he dotes on. He has several servants. He has his dream job and is very good at it, leading a very large team and garnering praise from peers and superiors alike. His job? He's the commandant at Auschwitz concentration camp. — grantss

Headlines

The Zone of Interest(2023)

Director & Top Cast

Jonathan Glazer

Christian Friedel

Sandra Hüller

Johann Karthaus

Luis Noah Witte

Nele Ahrensmeier

Lilli Falk

Anastazja Drobniak

Cecylia Pekala

Kalman Wilson

Medusa Knopf

Max Beck

Slava the Dog

Andrey Isaev

Julia Babiarz

Stephanie Petrowitz

Martyna Poznanski

Zuzanna Kobiela

Technical Specifications

Other Details

Summaries

Plot Summary

Storyline

Headlines

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