Movie review: “The Zone of Interest.”
For the record, I’m not really into reviewing present-day films or those from the past. My thing is critiquing movies that President Eric Trump will order Hollywood to make during his reign…I mean…presidency.
While sarcasm and snark drove my posts about some future cinematic works, genuine concern inspired it all. And, from this point forward, this post will give this 2023 movie the respect it deserves.
“The Zone of Interest” by Jonathan Glazer…Four Stars and Thumbs-Up together. Yes.
Its makers took an unconventional approach to addressing an uncomfortable, often-avoided topic of conversation…and the production works on every level. The performances, cinematic choices, all of it. So little actual violence is shown, but allusions to the awfulness sit in a viewers’ mind and stay there.
While “The Zone of Interest” takes place in 1940s’ Nazi Germany, it could be talking about a United States of America in the not-too-distant future.
This film made me think of:
• The proverbial RWT at the suburban country club who got rich from private-prison stocks as he sighs to the table of fellow RWT and says, “It’s a shame there aren’t enough Black fathers in the homes.”
• Also, the banker who got wealthy slinging Police Brutality Bonds and the hedge-funder driving up rent prices nodding at the private-prison stock-bro and drumming up tears. As they reply with platitudes like, “I love being a father…how could those poors not love their kids????” they remind me of Rudolf Hoss, the main character in “The Zone of Interest.” Actor Christian Friedel’s chilling portrayal of a concentration camp commandant made me think of fellas who advance in publicly-traded companies.
• Elon Musk, JD Vance, and Tucker Carlson.
• The Ayn Rand Institute getting a giant PPP handout from the US Treasury during the pandemic.
• My blog series Bros: America’s New Jews. Whatever inspired these posts about modern-day greed pretending to be red-blooded and altruistic brings “The Zone of Interest” to mind. The American fascist is precious. This fella prides himself on being as cheap as possible with his money because he knows that he can deflect by slinging “greedy Jew” jokes. My country loves this type of behavior from white guys. (Nobody else, though.)
• Hiking the costs of life-saving drugs that are produced cheaply…big “The Zone of Interest” energy right there.
• The online arguments that can be easily started by referring to “inflation” as “price-gouging” or stating “You have more in common with a homeless person than a billionaire.” Try it. Post one of those things and watch the incels show up to prove you right.
• The fact that Wall Street speculation played a big role in causing Nazi Germany. I think of that when I think of this movie.
• The fact that Hitler fashioned the Nuremberg Laws on the US’ Jim Crow Laws and modeled Lebensraum ideas on our westward expansion that decimated the native population — these as well.
Jonathan Glazer, the director of “The Zone of Interest” stated that his film “is not about the past, it’s about now.”
I get what he’s saying.
Please vote.
Also on my website. Earlier posts:
• Discover how miserable America’s top earners are. Self-publish.
• Operation Week Off.
• A hypothetical experiment:
• NYC vacay. May, 2003.
• A gigantic thank you, from me to Rush Limbaugh.
• Open letter to a selfie of my drunk-ass self, taken on August 11th, 2001.
I also write fiction. I have two dark comedies available, Fearkiller (Volume 1) and Notes from Trillionaire Island: Fearkiller (Volume 2), as well as Revolutionizer Alpha, the first book in a sci-fi series. I also wrote a story about God. It was weird, but then I decided to make the story and its sequel free. And all of the sudden, it didn’t seem as weird. Writing about God is much less weird when you write about God without charging money for it.
