Political Films Meet-Up: THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Political Films Meet-Up: “THE ZONE OF INTEREST”

Let’s talk about movies! Join movie club member Clay V. for the next film in our Political Films series with Jonathan Glazer's “The Zone of Interest “(2023). Loosely based on the novel of the same name by Martin Amis, it focuses on the private and professional life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and the life he and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) built on the outskirts of the death camp.

Here’s how The Portland Movie Club Meet-Ups work:
Just like a book club, we watch the movie before we meet.

We'll meet at Lucky Lab at 4pm (map) on the scheduled day & date.

We'll typically have a sign at our table(s) but at least we'll try to be obvious and identifiable.

Grab some food and drinks and spend some time socializing and discussing this movie with us.

A Few Notes about the film:
“The Zone of Interest” was widely praised and fiercely criticized, eventually earning an Oscar, three BAFTAs, and the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Steven Spielberg called it the best film about the Holocaust since his own Schindler's List (1993). And Sight and Sound placed it at number 2 on their list of the 50 best movies of 2023.

Many, including director Jonathan Glazer, have drawn parallels between the film and Israel's conduct in Gaza. I mention this because these parallels are sure to come up in our conversation, so anyone who might be offended by such conversations should be aware.

Viewing Options for the film:
Streaming options are currently reported to include HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Sling TV and Apple TV+. The film is available on Blu ray direct from the A24 online store and on import Blu ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray from the usual importers such as Amazon and Diabolik - and possibly even Music Milennium here in Portland, which typically stocks an excellent selection of imported discs (check 'em out!).

About Political Films:
This series is based on the New Republic article, "The 100 Most Significant Political Films of All Time" ([https://newrepublic.com/article/173376/100-political-films-new-republic-list] published in June 2023 and is a comprehensive list of films that speak to our relationships with government, war, bureaucracy, politics and politicians, crime, propaganda, classism, and more. The list is not intended to be a collection of the 'best' films, but the most significant (although many of them are also very good). Some of these films can be a challenging watch, I'd suggest www.doesthedogdie.com for content warnings.

Tips:
Haven't seen the movie in a while? You're in for a treat - try to watch the movie sometime before we meet. Just like a book club we don't watch the movie at our meetup, we just discuss it after we’ve seen it.

You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you can.

Many of us usually take a few notes while watching to keep from forgetting the most interesting stuff. If you think of some interesting discussion topics while you watch, bring 'em with you!

Typically, at the Meet-Up we'll decide on our next political film to watch! Take a look at the list linked above for options to consider for the next film.

Previous films viewed by “Political Films” Meet-up members for group discussion have included “Harlan County USA,” “Judas And The Black Messiah,” "Medium Cool," “The President’s Analyst,” “Marat / Sade,” “On The Waterfront,” “The Great McGinty,” “Seven Days In May,” “The Candidate,” “The Act of Killing,” “The Battle Of Algiers,” “All The President’s Men,” “How To Blow Up A Pipeline,” “Do The Right Thing,” “Malcolm X,” “A Face In The Crowd,” and “Dr. Strangelove.”