The Zone of Interest (3 Stars)

There's been a lot of talk about this film for weeks. People have been praising it, and it's received five Oscar nominations, including a Best Actress nomination for Sandra Hüller.

The story is simple. It's about Hedwig Hoess, a woman who lived with her family next door to the Auschwitz concentration camp. It's a beautiful house with a beautiful garden. Her husband was the camp commander. It's the most beautiful house imaginable, and it didn't bother her that she heard gunshots and screams all day. She was only bothered with what happened on her side of the wall. When her husband was transferred to Oranienburg in 1943 she requested that she could remain in Auschwitz with her children.

I can see why the film is popular, especially in Germany. So many Germans said that they knew nothing about the extermination of the Jews. Hedwig was a woman who must have known, even if she didn't discuss it with her husband at the breakfast table. Her conscience was hardened.

My problem with the film is that it's so slow. Nothing really happens. If I hadn't been told beforehand what the film was about, I wouldn't have known, because the word Auschwitz isn't used until 30 minutes in. I felt that I was being lectured to, not entertained. The director is English, but the style is very German. This isn't the sort of film I enjoy.