The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)

Tracing Tati's Legacy

Amir Siadat

Last year, as I watched the documentary Lynch/Oz, each idea presented regarding the influence of The Wizard of Oz on Lynch's works resonated deeply with me. I found myself marveling at the creative and unconventional mind behind Lynch's works. Even when confronted with a lighthearted and whimsical piece, his ability to extract profound and strange effects is truly remarkable. When I watched The Zone of Interest I couldn't help but wonder about the possibility of this intriguing film being influenced by the clever cinema of Jacques Tati. Are the elements employed by Glazer in his work somewhat akin to Tati's comedic style? Comparing The Zone of Interest to Tati's cinema may seem unusual at first glance, especially considering that films like Schindler's List, The Pianist, or Son of Saul, which focus on the Holocaust, are thematically more straightforward to compare. However, I believe that if the criterion is the aesthetic and formal dimensions of Glazer's film, focusing on its Tati-esque elements will provide a more insightful understanding of its structure. In my quest to uncover any references by Glazer to Tati, I turned to Google and stumbled upon two other critics. One recalled the resemblance between the garden in Mon Oncle and a garden juxtaposed with a concentration camp in The Zone of Interest. The other drew parallels between the monochrome military spaces in Glazer's film and the soulless buildings depicted in Play Time by Tati. Additionally, the absence of a conventional narrative, which led to some viewers rejecting the film, can also be considered noteworthy. Aligned with Tati's parametric cinema, Glazer has minimized narration and emphasized stylistic elements. Beyond the extensively discussed sound design, the abundance of geometric shapes and intersecting lines in many shot compositions stands out. Moreover, every aspect of the set design is meticulously stylish, clean, and orderly, echoing the disciplined aesthetic found in Play Time. Glazer, much like Tati, reveals a world that's both eccentric and bizarre, yet its inhabitants remain oblivious to its strangeness. I envision the worlds of these two filmmakers, despite their apparent differences, intersecting somewhere if extended. By eschewing conventional storytelling and focusing on everyday moments, The Zone of Interest may appear realistic to many, but to me, its craftsmanship not only transcends realistic logic but also historical concreteness. As you revisit its conclusion multiple times, consider the individuals sweeping the museum corridors, who, perhaps, no longer notice the Holocaust memorials after encountering them repeatedly. Also, consider the people in our real world whose screams we don't hear behind other walls, perhaps because we've grown accustomed to their repetition.