zone of interest. formally its great, or at least very consistent (ie it never breaks its distance, stillness, etc), and the sounds (not really the music though which surprised me as its mica levi but apparently a lot of her score got cut) are really intense, and basically made me clench my gut for the whole film (incredibly effective, and prob best experienced in the cinema), but something about it left me cold. which is maybe the point. youre not meant to warm to anything or anyone, or feel anything. but it didnt exactly stimulate me intellectually either. its just a study of mundanity (or the banality of evil etc etc as everyone has said). though it cant be that mundance ofc as you know it is a high ranking nazis family who we are observing. but it seemed too single minded and myopic really to make me consider anything i was seeing beyond what was plainly in front of me. the film has no real context or scope, and it prob doesnt need it as most ppl know about the holocaust already but the way the camp doesnt intrude into their convo at all (barring a comment from the mother in law), just seemed weird and a bit unrealistic. i found it more of an arthouse exercise using the holocaust to make it more horrific than a film that really tells you something new about the holocaust. the fact it zeroes in on a nazi family so tightly makes it unique, but it just seemed like it didnt tell me anything new tbh. but as a film, it is intense, and one that stayed with me for ages after, though im just not sure why, which has made me think its all to do with the sound design. the best thing i can say about it is it made me want to see/read about hoss, the commander, more. i found out there was a german film made in the 70s about him, but its more of a character piece, and drills down on his unwavering commitment to what he was doing, but how he treated it as a job, just as work, not much else, putting it above everything/everyone else.