The Zone of Interest - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Most films that take place during WWII come with a certain expectation. There will be soldiers with big guns, a ton of bullets flying in every direction, large sounds of tanks passing by, and nazis murdering Jews. Everything from Schindler's List to Saving Private Ryan and even to the indie darling Son of Saul and the comedic movie Jojo Rabbit explores different themes surrounding the holocaust complete with explosions, gun blasts, and horrifying screams. A24's The Zone of Interest takes a 180-degree turn and covers the sheer banality of the holocaust that follows a family that lives next door to Auschwitz and never shows a single death or a starving prisoner that everyone is accustomed to seeing in these types of movies. And with that added element, it makes it scarier to watch a family going on with their happy daily lives as millions of people are being murdered by nazis only a few feet away with the sound of death turned to eleven on a 24/7 basis.

Martin Amis's novel of the same name was the catalyst for director Jonathan Glazer's movie adaptation of The Zone of Interest which follows real-life nazi commander Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig, along with their several kids as they live out their daily lives as a happy family next door to Auschwitz. Höss has been charged with running Auschiwtz and maintaining the amount of death via gas chamber for all of the Jews. He runs a tight ship and has earned the respect of his superiors by coming up with a fast, efficient system to gas the most Jews in a short amount of time. But The Zone of Interest isn't interested in showing you violence or carnage or even people begging for their lives. The movie even introduces the family as they picnic on a beautiful lake setting in Poland where the kids are laughing and swimming and Höss and his wife are watching lovingly as their children play.

As the narrative or lack thereof plays out, Höss moves up the ranks even higher as several scenes show his superiors congratulating him at his home. Meanwhile, his wife and kids spend their days swimming in the outdoor pool, tending to their garden, and even playing practical jokes on each other. A little marital strife is thrown in for good measure when Höss talks to his wife about being transferred to a bigger position much to her dismay since she loves the beautiful house they live in - something that is normal for any couple to discuss. But the harsh kicker here is the sound design which is a constant hum of the giant incinerators that are burning up millions of bodies next door with an added faint noise of a gunshot or two. Nothing is ever seen or utilizes a strong impactful blast. It's the quiet notion that such chaos and evil are happening on the other side of the fence.

This is where Glazer makes the biggest impression with his film in that these characters of Höss and his wife completely know about the horrors going on next door and that they are responsible for it, yet keep going on with their daily routines of happiness and raising a family like it was an episode of Little House on the Prarie. And that is what is so sick and evil. Glazer even pays homage to Schindler's List with a few black-and-white moments showcasing a young girl secretly feeding prisoners. Or even a bigger gut punch is when the movie cuts to the present day at the end of the movie and reveals a janitorial staff cleaning up Auschiwtiz from a tourist-heavy day that shows millions of empty shoes and luggage on display of the countless lost lives that were the result of Höss and his family who everyone just watched living a normal, happy life.

There hasn't been a holocaust or WWII film that has struck a chord like this ever without showing any violence or death. And perhaps that makes The Zone of Interest scarier than the rest in showcasing the sheer banality of a murdering nazi in charge of the largest concentration camp that looks to be living a life of luxury and familial happiness a few feet away from hell. Most people would be grossed out by the gore and violence of such a war film, but it's the constant humming sound of the incinerator that could cause anyone who watches that sickness in their throat. It's a tough film to watch but an important one that tries to teach anyone to stand up and say something and not just watch horrifying atrocities happen when it's a neighborhood close by or even next door.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray

The Zone of Interest works its way to 4K via A24. The sole disc is housed inside a cardboard digipack with a cardboard sleeve. The slipcover has the red flower from the film. The case itself features the family at the lake. There are six art cards available inside. There is no Digital Code or insert either. 

The Zone of Interest comes with a 2160p 4K UHD image with HDR10 which is a good upgrade from the 1080p HD version. This movie has a very sour tone as Glazer also toned down the color palette. There is a decent-sized desaturation to the colors throughout the movie as it all looks stale and decaying, much like it was at Auschwitz. The beautiful garden has bright colored flowers of all different colors, but they come across as light pastels with a gray sky instead of a bright blue sky. The interiors look a little cooler with yellowish beige and faded greens. There are a couple of instances of pops of the color red that seem to evoke some emotional tones. The infrared footage has inky black levels and bright white balances that are a stark contrast to the grey hues from the rest of the movie. The detail is sharp enough but has a softness due to the nature of the color palette. Closeups still reveal facial pores and individual hairs along with textures in old clothing and uniforms. There are no video issues to speak of in regards to banding, aliasing, or heavy noise. 

This release comes with a great and exemplarily different sort of Dolby Atmos track. Usually in any war film, there are tons of explosions and large bullets flying by that would make use of every speaker. That's not the case here. This is a very subdued and quiet movie where soft to medium-range dialogue is spoken. The German dialogue is clean, clear, and easy to follow along with the English subtitles. There aren't really any big sound effects in the film either. Instead, there is a constant low hum of the incinerator that sounds off from start to finish on the surround speakers and the height speakers create this sense of dread and sickness. If anyone listens closely enough, there are a few faint gunshots in the distance that can be heard making it all more terrifying. There is a nice low end of the bass with a good rumble for the majority of the time with that hum. 

There are about 43 minutes of extras here that are worth a look. It's funny that the director is nowhere here.

• Aleksandra (HD, 8 Mins.) - This is a good and haunting interview with a survivor of the holocaust who was the inspiration for the little girl in the infrared sequences. 
• Filming Zone With Optional Commentary (HD, 32 Mins.) - This is a good length behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the movie. There is optional commentary from the production designer, costume designer, editor, and director of photography. 
• Sunbeams (HD, 3 Mins.) - This is the creepy atmospheric song cue that is featured in the movie. 
• Art Cards - There are six art cards of stills from the movie.

The Zone of Interest is an important movie about the insipidity of a family living their life next to the biggest concentration camp and how all of the evil being committed mere feet away from them doesn't bother their daily routines. It's not a movie for everyone, but again, it's an important one. The 4K image with HDR10 looks great and is an improvement over the 1080p HD version. The Dolby Atmos track sounds haunting and nuanced. There are some worthwhile extras. Highly Recommended!