Tracking a household of Nazi loyalists through the conventions of daily life, Jonathon Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” is a palpable jab at sin and the human core that provokes it. Set just outside the horrors of Auschwitz, the film follows a Nazi commandment living an Aryan delight, with the perfect family, house and profession that anyone with antisemitic motives would flock to. Cloaked in birthday parties and riverside outings, these monsters are rendered human, leaving viewers to contemplate their own intuitions. Although they represent evil incarnate, their familial guise makes for a much deeper watch as the wicked potentials of mankind rise to the surface. A disturbing watch stuffed with moral thoughts, this story is not only effective in its themes but necessary in its context. Revisiting a historic tragedy challenges our modern moral codes, making this a story that needs to be viewed by as many eyes as possible.

*This film screened at the 59th Chicago International Film Festival