Malaika Aman
Many interesting films have emerged in the aftermath of the Cannes Film Festival, including Johnny Depp’s comeback film ‘Jeanne du Barry,’ Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, and, of course, Zone of Interest. While Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western-drama based on true events in 1920, Zone Of Interest deals with a much darker subject. This heartbreaking film is based on a novel by Martin Amis, who died on May 19, a day after the film’s release, and it primarily focuses on a family, a commandant and his wife, who live next to a camp.
It’s a beautifully shot film that focuses on the horror of a family going about their business with no regard for what’s going on behind the wall. There is even a scene where they discuss how they have planted more vines to cover the wall. While we see this family participating in evil, it is never overt, and their life appears almost perfect, with bright colors and a conventially quaint house.
Zone of Interest scored a 98 on Metacritic.
It’s no surprise that this film received a rare 98 on Metacritic; while it does focus on a very sensitive subject, as would any Auschwitz-based film, director Jonathan Glazer handles it flawlessly. We’ve already seen him take on many experimental films, the most recent being Under The Skin, starring Scarlet Johanssen, his star doesn’t appear to be fading anytime soon.
There is a good chance that Zone of Interest and Killers of the Flower Moon will compete for awards this year, as both films have given audiences and critics something to think about.