László Nemes, the director of acclaimed film Son of Saul, has criticised The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars acceptance speech.
At the Sunday ceremony, Glazer stated that he and his colleague, James Wilson, reject their Jewish identity and the use of the Holocaust to justify a conflict that has harmed countless innocent individuals. This includes both the victims of the October 7 attack in Israel and the ongoing assault on Gaza.
Glazer’s statement has received both support and criticism, even from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), who described it as “morally wrong” on Monday.
The ADL shared on social media: “Israel is not wrongly using Judaism or the Holocaust to justify defending itself against genocidal terrorists. Glazer’s statements at the #Oscars are both inaccurate and morally unacceptable. They downplay the severity of the Holocaust and justify terrorism of the worst kind.”
Nemes expressed a similar sentiment to Glazer, both of whom won the foreign language Academy Award for their respective films on the Holocaust. In Nemes’ case, his 2015 film, Son of Saul, portrays the story of a Jewish prisoner who is forced to work in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.
“The Zone of Interest” is a significant film, according to Nemes. It deviates from the conventional approach and challenges the conventions of cinema. Nemes argues that the director should have avoided speaking out about his lack of understanding of history and the factors leading to civilization’s downfall, both during and after the Holocaust.
If he had accepted the duty of a movie like that, he would not have relied on propagandistic talking points that seek to eliminate all Jewish influence in the world.
Nemes expressed concern that Glazer’s speech could incite anti-Semitic sentiment. He pointed out that this is particularly alarming as we are currently seeing a rise in anti-Jewish animosity similar to pre-Holocaust times, but this time in a fashionable and seemingly ‘progressive’ manner. Nemes also noted that in today’s society, the only form of discrimination that is not only accepted but also promoted is anti-Semitism.
The Guardian has reached out to Glazer for a response.
Son of Saul and The Zone of Interest were both first shown at the Cannes Film Festival, with an eight-year gap between their premieres. Both movies received the grand prix (second place prize) at the festival, and both take place at Auschwitz in 1944.
The initial storyline centers around Saul, a Sonderkommando inmate who appears desensitized as he carries out his duties. As news of a revolt circulates, Saul becomes determined to give a proper Jewish burial to a boy who escaped from incineration. The movie follows Saul’s journey, often keeping the main character in the center of the screen while the surrounding horrors are slightly out of focus in the background.
The Zone of Interest takes place largely just outside Auschwitz’s walls, in the domestic paradise created by SS commandant Rudolph Höss, along with his wife, Hedwig. The prisoners are unrepresented in the film, other than through the soundtrack which captures their cries and screams and industrial grindings of the death camp next door.
Nemes explains his decision to focus on the perpetrators instead of the victims in Glazer’s speech. He states, “Perhaps there is a twisted logic to this – in The Zone of Interest, there is no representation of Jews on screen. We can be horrified by the Holocaust, securely in the past, without acknowledging how the world could potentially, one day, complete Hitler’s agenda in the name of progress and supposed good intentions.”
Before acquiring the rights to Martin Amis’s novel in 2014, Glazer and Wilson had been considering making a movie about the Holocaust for quite some time. The novel portrayed a fictionalized version of the Hösses’ experiences.
“When Jon and I began discussing the idea of creating a film on this topic back in 2014,” Wilson shared with the Hollywood Reporter, “we were aware of the well-known films such as Schindler’s List and Son of Saul. Our discussions centered around the question of what else could be said about the Holocaust, other than its universally acknowledged evil, which felt like an easy target.”
Glazer added: “But because the subject is so vast and because of the sensitivities involved, I felt I first needed to educate myself in a deeper way. So I spent a couple of years just reading books on the subject, watching documentaries, reading eye-witness testimony. Trying to understand the impulses that drew me to the subject to begin with, before I even tried to put pen to paper.”
During his research, he encountered a section from Martin Amis’s upcoming novel The Zone of Interest. He stated, “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to adapt the book, but I sensed that there was something in it for me.”
Nemes, who was born in Budapest and has lived in Paris, London and New York but remains based in Hungary, suggested Glazer’s words at the Oscars were symptomatic of a world view or “maybe even a collective psychosis” common to “totalitarian political regimes and repressive religious fanaticism”.
He compared this perspective to that of “12th-century archbishops, who were in a euphoric state of self-righteousness and self-flagellation, condemning wrongdoing and desiring purity.”
Nemes proposed that Glazer belongs to the “Hollywood elite” who focus on preaching morality to the public instead of addressing issues within their own industry.
Instead of focusing on their work, Nemes states that the cinema elite, who are detached, insincere, and indulged, are preoccupied – for unknown reasons – with trying to lecture us on morality.
Danny Cohen, the executive producer of the film, stated on Friday that he strongly disagreed with Glazer’s remarks.
On the Unholy podcast, Cohen acknowledged that these comments have caused upset and anger among many individuals. He also expressed understanding for their feelings.
“I strongly disagree with Jonathan regarding this issue. My support for Israel remains steadfast. The ongoing war is solely the fault of Hamas, a terrorist group with genocidal intentions. They are responsible for holding and mistreating hostages, and instead of using their tunnels to protect innocent civilians in Gaza, they use them to hide and allow Palestinians to die. While I find the war and loss of civilian life to be tragic, I place the blame on Hamas.”
According to the producer, the speech appears to be a joint effort between Glazer and Wilson.
In past public appearances, Wilson has expressed his political views, while Glazer has typically limited his remarks to thanking his team and supporters. Financier Len Blavatnik, who was also present on stage, probably did not know about the director’s planned statement. Blavatnik has not made any public statements about the speech.
László Nemes’s statement in full
It is peculiar that the upper class of Hollywood chooses to lecture the world on morality instead of addressing the decline of cinema, the decline of skill and creativity in films, the suppression of artistic freedom by corporate attitudes, or the rise of pyramid-like streaming services that produce subpar movies. Instead of striving to create meaningful art in a world that is increasingly divided and self-destructive, the disconnected, insincere, and privileged members of the entertainment industry are inexplicably focused on lecturing us on morals.
Their works are dull and conformist, lacking creativity and lacking the courage to push boundaries. They all follow the same mindset, resembling that of 12th-century archbishops, fixated on self-righteousness and self-punishment, condemning wrongdoing and craving purity. Such a mindset is typically associated with authoritarian regimes and extreme religious zealotry, bordering on collective delusion.
The Zone of Interest is a significant film that breaks away from traditional techniques. Its exploration delves into the limitations of cinema. The director’s approach, however, fails to acknowledge the historical and societal impact of the Holocaust. Instead of acknowledging the gravity of the subject matter, the director regurgitates propaganda that aims to eliminate Jewish identity.
In our current era, there is a concerning rise in anti-Semitic sentiment, resembling the levels seen before the Holocaust. What is more unsettling is that this prejudice is now being disguised as a “progressive” trend. Sadly, it seems that the only form of discrimination that is accepted and even promoted is anti-Semitism. Ironically, this may be explained by the fact that there is a complete absence of Jewish representation on screen in The Zone of Interest.
Let us all be shocked by the Holocaust, safely in the past, and not see how the world might eventually, one day, finish Hitler’s job – in the name of progress and endless good.
Source: theguardian.com
