Added a link to a 26 minute analysis of this scene. Itās brilliant. I think the long drawn out scene build tension in such an ominous way. Hans Landa is one of my fav villains; heās polite and eerily cheerful but he always knows more than anyone else in the scene does. This movie does a great job of doing long scenes as opposed to cutting back and forth to other characters / moments. I know the movie can come off as ābro-y Nazi killing WW2ā movie but that is such a shallow view of it. Worth the watch.
May 18, 2024
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The tension in this scene is so palpable. Christoph Waltz is amazing
May 22, 2024
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Just watched it for a class. Thought it was good but the score was terribleā really schlocky mid-2000s dramatic orchestration action movie fodder. It also felt five million hours long. I like Bruno Ganz very much and I like that he is in every German movie ever made.
Feb 21, 2025
The countless atrocities committed by the Nazis have been well-documented in the media, but I canāt recall having ever seen a movie that opted to focus on the cold banality of the lives of the Germans who were actively engaged in or complicit with such incredible cruelty. Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin), inspired by Martin Amisā novel, has decided to tap into this underexplored area, and the chilling result will haunt viewers for days.
Focusing on Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hƶss (Christian Freidel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra HĆ¼ller, both perfectly cast), who are raising their family in a well-appointed home directly adjacent to the camp, we watch them go about their relatively mundane existences. They live better than many of their fellow Germans and have local girls working as servants to help keep up the house, but otherwise much of their time is spent tending to trivial day-to-day tasks, aside from the odd bit of Nazi business that Rudolf attends to from his home office.
Nothing here is truly normal however, a point made very clear shortly into the film when the camera changes its view of the familyās yard to expose the guard tower just on the other side of the brick wall that abuts the property. Given the proximity to the notorious camp, its noises permeate every aspect of the familyās lives. The low hum of the furnaces is ever-present, punctuated by screams and gunshots. Frequently trains can be heard bringing more prisoners, puffs of steam appearing over the tree line. Somehow, the Hƶssā and their children go about their day as if they donāt even notice it.
To celebrate one of the childrenās birthdays, Hedwigās mother comes to stay. Initially impressed by the large, well-maintained home and garden, she casually wonders aloud if a Jewish neighbor might be imprisoned next door, complaining that she lost her chance to claim her curtains. As the pair sit on the patio and sounds from the camp impose themselves, she turns to glance at the wall, at least a little discomfited. At night, the sounds of suffering disturb her sleep and she looks out the window, only to see ash and bright flames erupting from a smokestack. She leaves the following morning.
While the atrocities next door are felt throughout almost the entire movie, we never see them. Everything is instead conveyed through Johnnie Burnās meticulous sound design and the effect is powerful, especially in contrast to the mundanity of everything shown. Cinematographer Åukasz Å»alās striking staging avoids overly prettifying the home while still maintaining a painterly artfulness, often using static, embedded cameras to give the proceedings the sort of voyeuristic feel of reality shows likeĀ Big Brother.
A movie may not be the best place to figure out exactly how people can react so blithely to such large-scale inhumanity, so Glazer doesnāt really try to do so. It is enough however to be reminded that the behavior is not only something that we as a species are capable of, but that it is necessary for such evil to be enacted. Hopefully the reminder will help to prevent it from happening again. ā
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RATED PG-13 FOR THEMATIC MATERIAL, SOME SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL, AND SMOKING.
Feb 21, 2024
Top Recs from @marianoleonczik
florinegrassenhopper riotgrrrl brendanooooo slowdazzle buck_mcgraw and indianjones ā we did it. Not only did we successfully meet for drinks, but we also schemed the hostile takeover of this app from tyler tonight.
In all seriousness ā weird that an app I downloaded in April would make genuinely want to drive back into Brooklyn during end of day traffic for a happy hour. Great app filled with great people.
Jul 20, 2024
ā„ļø
I feel like thereās a special connectivity on this app that I havenāt felt in a long time, maybe since early 2010ās tumblr. The fact that you canāt promote yourself like IG is wonderful. The fact that there isnāt mass video content like Tik Tok is great. Itās not this monetized / paid sponsorship app. People are here because they want to be a part of something with nothing to gain besides friendship. Seeing the URL -> IRL meetups warms my heart so much (waiting for an NYC or Brooklyn meetup).
Thanks for your participation on this niche little app. I smile reading all the recs and all the comments and all the asks. Hope weāll all be here for a long time.
Jun 15, 2024
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I think a life rule for me is to surround myself with people who know more / are smarter / are cooler than me and just absorb their aura by listening / observing them. Itās made me the incredibly smart / cool person you all know and love.
I just never thought Iād feel the same way about URL friends. Iām constantly listening to the songs I see posted here, reading the articles, subbing to newsletters, and googling topics that get tossed onto the feed.
Itās nice to know you can become a more rounded person by just absorbing what your mutuals post on here. Iām going to sit on my couch, have a cocktail and digest my lovely feed. Happy Sunday!
Sep 15, 2024