Order by:

Add your comment

Do you want to let us know what you think? Just login, after which you will be redirected back here and you can leave your comments.

Comments 1 - 14 of 14

Ted B's avatar

Ted B

This is a movie of contrasts: the sights that are seen vs. the background sounds that are heard, petty daily concerns vs. matters of life and death, innocence vs. complicity, beauty vs. unthinkable evil. Also watch for parallels such as the crematorium smokestacks rising behind German children bullying each other.

The first half of the film is dominated by the daily life of the Rudolf and Hedwig Hoss family who are living comfortably in housing next to the concentration camp, while the second half mostly shows Hoss feeling isolated at Nazi officer functions. The pacing is slow throughout which allows the film to establish what the ambience must have been like while functioning in this kind of an environment.

Having visited Auschwitz-Birkenau last summer, the emotions I felt during the film were consistent with recently being in the concentration camp and viewing the same displays that are shown in a flash forward near the end of the film. It's important to contemplate that something like this actually happened to hopefully prevent history from repeating itself.
2 months 4 weeks ago
baraka92's avatar

baraka92

Amazing!
Glazer keeps channeling Kubrick, but his biggest influence for this seems to be Chantal Akerman. The way his shots convey the space on screen is masterful.
I guess there's a little bit of Michael Snow's Wavelength too.

Instead of focusing on the suffering inflicted inside the camps, which is what in my opinion turns most Holocaust movies into exploitation (I agree with Haneke's views on Schindler's List), it uses filmmaking techniques to create an elipsis for that and go beyond being a mere history lesson.

I don't think they see themselves as evil. For them, it's another way to "get by". They talk about work and home as most people would and that creates a very creepy dissonance. Even when Rudolf talks about gasing the party. I believe he's saying it like when any of us keeps thinking about work outside of it. "How can I be more practical?" How can I improve my performance?..." Just another mental exercise.
This grounds the evil on the comfort of the Höss family life and expands it beyond the film's setting.
What's happening around me? What am I ignoring right now?

It would make a heavy double feature with Son of Saul, another Holocaust movie about what you can and can't see.

This has to be the most off beat Best Picture nominee ever.
2 months 2 weeks ago
samoan's avatar

samoan

Overall a very good movie, with great cinematography, and really well done. Unique film, not the best film of 2023 but excellent. I recommend checking this one out.
4 months ago
airi86ja's avatar

airi86ja

This film is truly European, with lots of hidden details. Cinematography was just amazing, although I missed the culmination.
Anyway, I am glad this unusual movie is nominated to Best Picture of The Year.
2 months 2 weeks ago
kaaaaaro's avatar

kaaaaaro

Brilliant. Just brilliant.
1 month 4 weeks ago
jo027's avatar

jo027

A movie about deep human void
2 months 2 weeks ago
Cthulhu1's avatar

Cthulhu1

Devastating.
2 months 2 weeks ago
gulliver's avatar

gulliver

A "fill in the blanks" movie. I wonder what a young person with limited knowledge of the camps make of this? And if you know what`s going on it`s like a super slow art-horror movie where everything happens out of frame and in the distance.
2 months 1 week ago
MMDan's avatar

MMDan

Maybe von Triers Dogville is real. My vote for best picture.
3 months 1 week ago
deckard.'s avatar

deckard.

very disappointed in glazer because it is apparent that he chose the cheesy exploitation path....

plastic, insincere and commercial. go watch matrix 4. at least it doesn't try to cover its stinking pile of shit with a pseudo-intellectuality.
2 months ago
elcid's avatar

elcid

Good cinematography but the approach is not really new. (7/10)
2 months 2 weeks ago
Adamov10's avatar

Adamov10

Boring movie
2 months 2 weeks ago
Joao_Carlos's avatar

Joao_Carlos

If you like slow movies, with no story, and watching the same image for long seconds, you gonna love it.
Boring as..

Completely overrated by some cinephiles.

Got the implied message that movie wants to pass, but its not enough to deserve such amazing reviews.

There are many unkwon movies much better than this !
3 months 2 weeks ago
Freeza's avatar

Freeza

Completely horrible! I fell asleep on cinema :(
3 months 2 weeks ago
View comments