We are just a few weeks away from the Cannes Film Festival. One of the big titles I cannot wait to see is Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest.” The film is said to be a challenging look at war-torn Poland during WWII.
‘Zone of Interest’ producer Ewa Puszczynska couldn’t tamper her excitement for the film.
In an Instagram video she even, peculiarly, mentioned how ‘Zone’ was the only film that was unanimously selected by the Cannes Selection committee. Are you even allowed to say that?
The competition in Cannes this year is very strong. There are many veterans. Jonathan Glazer is going to be there for the first time. I believe the film made a huge impression on the selectors would decide what should be in Cannes competition. This is evidenced by the fact that the invitation they sent us stated that it was the only film this year that was unanimously approved for competition.
Alright. I won’t necessarily say that this means the film’s quality is top-notVenice was fighting hard to get it into its selection, but Cannes managed to snatch it away. There are a lot of politics involved when it comes to Festival selections.
With that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Zone’ turns out to be one of the more acclaimed movies of this year’s Cannes. On paper, it’s too good to miss.
Glazer’s 18 month post-production process has been very slow and meticulous. Let’s remember, there was a 24-month timeframe between the 2011 shoot of “Under the Skin” and its 2013 world premiere.
The upcoming holocaust drama might also be in Polish and German. This would be the filmmaker’s first non-English film. The leads in “The Zone of Interest” will be played by award-winning actors Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdmann) and Christian Friedel (Amour Fou).
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.