I Was Dazed for a Long Time After Watching 'The Zone of Interest' (Minor Spoilers)
The fact that the music kept sounding pleasant was actually more terrifying. The choice to never directly show what is happening beyond the wall until the very end keeps lingering in my mind.
Later I found out that those sounds were actually recorded and reconstructed. I was amazed that sound design alone could create this level of tension.
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Do you have a source that the sound was actually recorded? I’m curious whether it was from a director interview or a making-of.
The sound in this movie was the real star, fr
Well... I think it's a bit overrated. Rather than the direction of never showing it until the end being impressive, it's ultimately a structure that dumps all the imagining onto the audience. Calling that directorial skill felt a little forced to me. I'll give it credit for the sound, but other than that, it wasn't a movie I'd watch twice.
If you liked the approach of showing only what’s inside the wall, Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon or Son of Saul might also be worth checking out. Son of Saul in particular has a similar feel in how it handles point of view, so watching them together leaves a longer-lasting impression. With headphones on, the difference in sound design is definitely noticeable.
I saw it in the theater, and when the credits rolled after the screening, nobody got up from their seats. I could hear the older woman next to me sighing over and over, and even that sound felt like part of the film, which made it even stranger. Even after I got home and took a shower, the sound from beyond the wall kept echoing in my head, so I barely slept that night. It’s a film I don’t think I’ll ever watch again, and yet one I feel I have to see at least once.