The commandant of Auschwitz and his wife strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
The film observes Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) as they live their happy family life right next door to the concentration camp. Shot like a casual European dramedy about a family at their summer home, the reality that surrounds them is revealed only by the barbed wire fences, small details in conversation, skies filled with smoke, bursts of sound design, and the piercing score. Friedel as Höss is frightening in his mundanity and Hüller as Hedwig gives the film its twisted humanity. The moments where Hedwig is cruel to her house staff almost feel like a relief - evil we can see even if it’s so much milder than what’s over the walls. In the novel from where this screenplay has been adapted, the lead was named Paul Doll. Glazer, best known for ‘Sexy Beast’ and ‘Under the Skin’, specifically chose to name his main character Rudolf Höss (almost identical to Rudolf Hess) to bring the weight of a well-recorded historical character living in a specific place and time. (Subtitles)
USA 2023 Jonathan Glazer 105m
