Holocaust drama has upsetting scenes, off-camera atrocities.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
All of the horrid violence and mass genocide happens off camera. But there is a constant sense of threat, and screams, shouting, and gunshots are routinely heard. Plans are discussed in detail about the best way to increase the numbers of people that can be gassed and burned in the concentration camp. Incinerators in the camp are seen burning, with knowledge that they are burning the bodies of victims. A human bone is found in a river. A young child is seen playing with a victim's teeth. Threats. A soldier is seen with old injuries, including a burned and disfigured face and the loss of an arm. Suggestion that a person in power is using a prisoner for sex. An older sibling locks their younger brother in a greenhouse and makes gassing sounds. Modern-day footage of the museum and memorial at Auschwitz shows the actual gas chambers, as well shoes, photos, and other items of the real-life victims. A character dry-wretches but doesn't actually vomit.
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Jewish people are talked about in dehumanizing ways. Antisemitic comments and slurs are heard, such as "Jewess." "Blood hell" is used a couple of times. "My God" used as exclamation.
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A main character is seen smoking cigarettes and cigars on occasion. Two other characters have a smoke together. During a fancy party, people are seen smoking and drinking, but no drunkenness is depicted.
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Characters are seen in bathing suits. A character appears to be forcing a prisoner to have sex, though nothing is shown. The character is seen washing the prisoner's genitals (no nudity), with suggestion they have just had sex and that the character wants to hide this from their spouse. Character seen shirtless while getting a medical examination. Married couple kiss on the lips. Two teens are seen being affectionate with each other. Character seen in the bath; no nudity.
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The film is set during World War II with a backdrop (quite literally) of the Auschwitz concentration camp. As such, the mass murder of Jewish people and other communities is never far away, although it's never actually depicted on-screen. The film is told from the viewpoint of a Nazi family (with the victims of Auschwitz rarely seen), although their position and behavior is never depicted as anything but abhorrent. Antisemitic comments. Jews are spoken about in dehumanizing terms. Polish people are also oppressed (forced to work for the Nazi family). Frank discussion about how to murder huge numbers of Hungarians. Although the mother of the main family is given agency and is strong-minded, she and her husband do revert to traditional and stereotypical family roles; he the breadwinner and she the stay-at-home housewife and mother.
Film is set in and around one of the worst atrocities in history: the Holocaust in WWII. Few positive messages other than an underlying sense that such cruelty can never be allowed to happen again. Jewish people are spoken about in dehumanizing terms and are murdered on a massive scale. Those doing so show little to no remorse or even an understanding of the evil they are committing. There are fleeting moments of people feeling unease at what's happening around them—such as when a character cuts short their stay—but this is more to do with how it makes them feel, rather than an outrage at what is happening. One minor character shows courage and compassion in trying to help the condemned.
Positive Role Models
none
Rudolf Höss is the commandant of Auschwitz and spends his time planning the best way to execute millions of Jews and other communities imprisoned in the camp. He shows little if any remorse for his actions, dehumanizing his victims. His wife, Hedwig Höss, also shows no regard for the victims. Her sole concern is building a beautiful home for her family, a home that literally shares a wall with the concentration camp. She can be cruel to the Polish women who are forced to work for her as servants in her house. Other Nazi soldiers are seen talking callously in their plans to commit mass genocide. A young Polish girl, who plays a minor role, shows great courage and compassion in hiding apples for the prisoners to find.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Zone of Interest is a powerful drama about the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and World War II, with the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), and his wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), setting up their family home next to the concentration camp. Although there is no explicit violence depicted on-screen, you're never allowed to ignore the threat and evil that is taking place over the adjoining wall. Gunshots, screams, and shouting are all heard as the Höss family carry on with their daily lives. The normality of their behavior only adds to the upset. Jewish people are dehumanized, and there are antisemitic slurs and comments. Nazi officers speak candidly about the best ways of killing Jews and other communities, with none showing any remorse or reluctance to carry out the actions. It's suggested Rudolf is using a young prisoner for sexual gratification. He is seen washing his genitals, presumably after sex, although there is no explicit nudity. There is occasional smoking and drinking. Loosely based on the book by Martin Amis, the film is mostly in German, with English subtitles available. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Required viewing, will make you think about how you live your life
This should be required viewing for every teen in history class. And then every adult across the planet too. The film provides a unique Nazi viewpoint and displays the banality of evil.
Questions arise. Can we be so apathetic, and willfully ignorant that atrocities of any kind can happen next door to us and we won't care? We live in a time when so many people are treated poorly, yet do we care enough to speak out? Or are we going to turn a blind eye and plan our vacations? These and other questions are important maturity steps that are seemingly often forgotten in a world where many people would not want to be uncomfortable. Yet The Zone of Interest begs us to consider them.
The film is shot with unique viewpoints. And it was also shot on location. It's a deeply moving narrative that will sit with you a long time.
More real than anything taught in a classroom. As an empath it was extremely hard for me to watch & I did have to watch it a second time. Because the entire movie has to be read it will not suitable for younger children & it is horrifying. Because it is true & real life. I was in awe of the beauty of the ghostly black & scenes. The insert of the Holocaust Museum.. genius!
What's the Story?
In THE ZONE OF INTEREST, the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), and his wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), build a family home right next to the concentration camp where millions of prisoners are being murdered. Despite these atrocities taking place on their doorstep, the Höss family loves their way of life, so much so that, when Rudolf is transferred to another post, Hedwig refuses to leave and stays at the home with her children.
The true horrors of this drama, set quite literally in the shadows of the Auschwitz concentration camp, is kept off-camera for the film's duration. But this doesn't lessen the impact of The Zone of Interest, which peers into the everyday family life of one of the main perpetrators of the atrocities. Friedel plays Rudolf Höss, a real-life architect of the Holocaust and the longest-serving commandment of Auschwitz, the concentration camp that oversaw the killing of millions of Jews and people from other communities. It's a chilling portrayal with Hoss both dishing out and following instructions like he was ordering a new office paper run rather than committing mass genocide. Likewise, Rudolf's wife Hedwig's ability to willingly ignore what is happening the other side of the wall that divides her much-loved garden with the concentration camp is a further reminder that evil wears many different guises. These are people implicit in the most horrific of crimes. Yet they are also parents who sit down for dinner with their children or organize pool parties in their backyard. History often asks: How could people have allowed such appalling acts of genocide to occur? For filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, the answer appears to be ... all too easily. And that is yet another horror from this upsetting but important drama.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how they felt watching The Zone of Interest. The movie deals with some emotionally difficult material. Why is it sometimes necessary to experience painful emotions? Why is it important that we don't forget the atrocities of the past?
Despite there being a constant sense of evil, death, and threat, very little violence happens on-screen. Did this lessen the impact of the movie? Why, or why not? How to talk with kids about violence, crime, and war.
Has this movie encouraged you to learn more about World War II and the Holocaust? Where can you find out more about this period of history?
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Danny Brogan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
