Split Decision: "The Zone of Interest"
Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 8:00PM No two people feels the exact same way about any film. Thus, Team Experience is pairing up to debate the merits of this year’s Oscar movies. Here's Ben Miller and Nick Taylor on The Zone of Interest...
BEN: Hey Nick! I will freely admit that The Zone of Interest haunted me in a way that I won't soon forget. I consider it among the absolute best of the year and one of the most impactful Holocaust films to come out in some time. The praise for the film is near universal, so I know that you thought it was just as exceptional as I did. We can be in agreement, and then call it a day. Quick and painless...you thoughts?
NICK: I am definitely haunted by it! There’s plenty to admire in Jonathan Glazer’s direction, and I can’t deny I was taken aback by its provocations when I watched it. But even without the comparison to Glazer’s previous stone-cold masterpieces, I felt myself disengaging from the movie’s rhythms as it went on. Intellectually, I get why we’re kept at such a remove from the Höss family, and what the oppressive sound design and spycam cinematography are meant to convey about these people. I swear I do. But this did not connect with me the way it clearly has with you, and I would love to hear more about why this is one of the best movies of the year for you . . . .