March 28 The historical drama "The Zone of Interest", which tells the story of the idyllic life of a Nazi family on the outskirts of the Auschwitz concentration camp, begins to be shown in cinemas across Lithuania.
British director Jonathan Glazer's work has been recognized at all major film events, from the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival to two Oscars. It was also chosen as the opening film by the just ended Vilnius City Film Festival "Cinema Spring". What do representatives of the film world say about one of the best films of the year?
"Strong. I like this kind of provocation for cinema fans who are in a spring mood", comments film director Romas Zabarauskas, who also watched "Interesų zona" on the opening night of the festival. According to him, the film, which won two Oscars, is characterized by excellent acting, original artistic conception and an important representation of the evil household. "Careful sound direction, interlaced documentary shots, red screen and other virtuosic solutions capture attention; there is something to discuss after the session", - the creator recommends everyone to see "Zone of Interests".
"It has long been seen that during the opening, the audience would not leave until the last credits, because you need to check if there is still ground under your feet, you need to hear the music piercing through like an alarm clock in the morning. The interest zone is the alarm clock", - social worker. film critic Santa Lingevičiūtė notices in the networks.
Theaterologist Vaidas Jauniškis published a detailed reflection after the opening of "Kino pavasaris". "The film digs into a very dark past, but in an unexpectedly new way. Both the plot and the technical-conceptual side are very well thought out. Glazer takes the antiquated method of taking the atrocities behind the scenes, and it works: he engages our imagination. The director previously made music videos, and this experience allowed him to very skillfully evoke images with just sounds," he writes.
"The director, as it were, calls you to look into your everyday life, trying to understand when you cross the line, beyond which you come to terms with your dehumanization or justify it. This is an important message of the film, forcing us to associate "Zone of Interests" with the palaces and gardens of the current hollow people", - writes Živilė Pipinytė in the review published in the weekly magazine "7 meno dienos".
"This is probably the first film I've seen in my life where the rethinking of world history is not horrifying with its obvious illustration of brutal crimes against humanity. He turns the mirror to us and reminds us that an even greater evil is to simply close our eyes and pretend that nothing is happening", comments publicist Dovilė Filmanavičiūtė. A fan of author's cinema says: "I couldn't believe that the heroes of the film are creating their paradise along the Auschwitz border with completely calm faces, that they love their children and animals, but the lives of those who are just screaming behind that barbed wire are completely unimportant and even insignificant to them." It took a few days to think. Now I think that those who say that history comes full circle are right. Looking around, I still see that movie script today. Maybe even in your yard."
The film presented by the US studio A24 is distributed in the Baltic countries by Kino Pavasaris Distribution.