To avoid my prior mistake, I watched this at the start of my flight home, when my attention wouldn't be flagging yet. I also had a strong feeling that I would need a palate cleanser afterward.
We might call this a slice of life, but that kind of implies an ordinary setting. The focus is on the large family of Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), commandant at Auschwitz, living very close to it. The most notable plot developments concern changes in his job, whether he likes them or not. His five kids seem not to know or care what he's up to.
I won't say it's a true story; I'm sure a lot of details were made up. It's not even particularly faithful to the Martin Amis book that inspired it. (FWIW, Amis died the day the movie premiered in Cannes. Quite a coincidence.)
Strangely, United did not offer subtitles or even straightforward dubbing, only narration suitable for blind people. I came to appreciate this, because with very little dialog, I needed something extra to help me pay attention. Besides, with subtitles, I would have eschewed earbuds and missed out on the Oscar-winning sound. The narrator even points out details I could have overlooked at full alertness, such as telltale smoke.
You may find some relief in the most horrible events being relegated to the background, unlike in most Holocaust features. But I was about as disturbed by this as by The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Indeed, it manifests both qualities that make me dread A24: darkness and ennui.
The best thing about TZoI is that it illustrates how regular people could go along with one of the biggest evils in history. Me, I would have been fine admiring the film from afar without watching.
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