In the grounds of Auschwitz, commandant Rudolf Höss and his family live in luxury. As unspeakable atrocities unfold in the concentration camp, the family members go about their lives – wilfully ignoring the ever-present sounds of terrible things happening just over their garden wall.

The Zone of Interest – director Jonathan Glazer’s first film since 2013’s Under the Skin – is a deeply unsettling, masterfully directed cinematic study of the banality of evil. Loosely based on the novel by Martin Amis, Glazer’s film refuses to show the audience the atrocities of the Holocaust. Instead, we’re kept at a devastating, chilling remove – artfully enhanced by pristine camerawork, extraordinary sound design and an eerie, bone-shaking score from Mica Levi.

Directed by Jonathan Glazer | 105 mins | Cert 12 | German/Polish/Yiddish with English subtitles

Awards
Academy Awards, 2024 – Best International Feature Film & Best Sound
Cannes Film Festival, 2023 – Grand Prix award and FIPRESCI Prize

Review quotes
“A devastating Holocaust drama like no other” – David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

★★★★★ “A blood-freezing treatise on the banality of evil” – Nicholas Barber, BBC