The Zone of Interest has had such an impact on me, that I find myself posting about it again. This time it’s an interview at the New York Film Festival with Jonathan Glazer, Christian Friedel (Rudolf Hoess), Sandra Hueller (Hedwig Hoess), James Wilson (Producer) and Johnnie Burn (Sound Designer).
They discuss filming in proximity to Auschwitz, hiding cameras and mics around the Hoess House, filming different scenes simultaneously - so that you can hear the ‘natural’ sounds of a working house.
It was great to hear that the actors felt that this production design gave them freedom to perform.
Jonathan Glazer also makes a very telling observation, that he wanted Zone to be filmed in proximity to the camp as he felt he didn’t want to distance himself from history, as that would make us feel a false sense of safety from the horrors of the Holocaust - we are the same people as those present at it.
As a writer who feels there is a social responsibility to his work - and yes I know not all writers feel that way - then this film stands as a great example of that process and how it gives a bearing to the production design and the ethos of the stories we are telling.
https://youtu.be/f6cGdfUJw3Y?si=poSH2rVUwDRdZTc7