Jonathan Glazer’s chilling and thought-provoking 2023 film depicts the Nazi Höss family’s idyllic life in the shadow of Auschwitz. It made a big impact on us. Our discussion went on much longer than usual, there was so much to reflect on.
Jonnie Burn’s extraordinary sound design, disturbing and unsettling, is a standout feature of the film, along with Mica Levi’s music. For some of us, the disorienting introduction sequence was painful on the ears.
The immersive nature of the film drew us into the family’s distorted, fake and superficial world. They feel they have “landed on their feet” and are willing participants in mass murder. The scene where Mrs Höss preens herself in a purloined fur coat, even using the lipstick left in the pocket, is particularly chilling. “History will judge you,” said one of our participants.
The family was completely detached from the horrors in the concentration camp, even though glimpses of reality occasionally broke through. The children discover a jawbone while bathing in a stream, dust from the crematorium falls on the perfect garden. The director has been inspired by the Raymond Aron quotation, “I knew but I didn’t believe it. And because I didn’t believe it, I didn’t know.”
Would anyone not so knowledgeable about the back story understand some aspects of this film? The infra-red scene of the Polish girl compassionately hiding fruit for the prisoners to find, is mystifying without knowing the true events. We also discussed the final sequence of the film, set in the museum in Auschwitz and its impact.
For some of us, the film raised questions about whether the Holocaust could happen again. We were concerned about the younger generation and how to develop critical thinking about what they see online. So many people nowadays say generally, “I don’t know what the truth is anymore.” That’s worrying.
The remarkable book by Jonathan Freedland – The Escape Artist – was recommended, as it gave a real insight into what happened inside Auschwitz.
Anne
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