Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest tells the story of Nazi officer Rudolf Höss and his family, who attempt to live the life of their dreams during World War Two. However, they are living right next door to Auschwitz, the most infamous concentration camp during the war. But is The Zone of Interest based on a true story?
The Zone of Interest is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Martin Amis. While Amis' book used true events as the inspiration for this work, his The Zone of Interest gave the characters new names. Glazer, however, opted to return to the real-life figures in his adaptation, specifically Rudolf (Christian Friedel) and Hedwig Höss (Sandra Hüller) and their family.
To do so, Glazer spent three years working with the Auschwitz and Birkenau State Museum and Memorial to get first hand testimony of Höss family, according to A24. This included going through what was known as "the black books," thousands of testimonies by victims and survivors, which included pictures that helped inform Glazer and members of the production team.
With that information, it is clear that Glazer did base The Zone of Interest on the true story of the Höss family. But what about some of the specific details included in the movie? We did some research.
Who was Rudolf Höss?
According to Britannica, Rudolf Höss served in World War I, after which time he began being affiliated with conservative groups. He was arrested and imprisoned between 1923-1928 for his association with such groups. Sometime after his release, he joined the Nazi Party, serving in the SS. In 1934 he began working at the Dachau concentration camp before he was given the role of commandant of Auschwitz in 1940. It is after this that the story of The Zone of Interest takes place.
Was Rudolf Höss transferred away from his family?
The key drama for the Höss family during the course of The Zone of Interest is that Rudolf has been ordered to transfer to a different post. This upsets Hedwig, who wants to stay at Auschwitz as they have made a home for themselves there and she does not want to just give it up. So, Rudolf is able to make it work where he transfers and his family stays in their home, with the goal of him being able to return at some point. He eventually is given that opportunity, with his transfer back to Auschwitz depicted in The Zone of Interest ending.
But did this all really happen? Yes, Rudolf's transfer and Hedwig's objection to it is based in fact. According to production notes from A24, Glazer found testimony from the Höss' gardener which described Hedwig as "furious" about Rudolf's transfer and the possibility of leaving the home they built, she supposedly told Rudlof "she'd have to be carried out rather than leave voluntarily."
Britannica details that Höss was given the position of deputy inspector of all concentration camps in 1945, which is the position that he takes on in the movie that forces him to transfer. However, it is never clear in the movie the time frame that the story is taking place, so we're not able to tell if Glazer is sticking with the historical timeline exactly.
What happened to the Höss family?
The Soviet army invaded Berlin in April 1945, at which point, according to a 2013 interview in The Washington Post with Brigitte Höss, Rudolf and Hedwig's daughter, the family fled Auschwitz and went into hiding. Rudolf Höss was eventually captured in March 1946 and appeared as a witness at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, before being turned over to Poland to stand trial for his own crimes, according to archives on the Auschwitz and Birkenau State Museum and Memorial website. It says Höss never denied his crimes, but claimed he was only following orders. He was sentenced to death and hanged in 1947.
We couldn't find much information about what happened to the rest of the Höss family outside of The Washington Post article with Brigitte Höss. In it she described her family struggling, stealing coal for heat and wearing rags around their feet as shoes as they were shunned in post-war Germany. However, one of the children was eventually able to find a job that help them improve their situation. Brigitte and some of the other children, eventually immigrated to the US.
Hedwig, however, remained in Germany for a time, living in Stuttgart with one of her other daughters. She did not receive a state pension like other widows of Germany soldiers or any other kind of income from the government. In 1965, she herself appeared as a witness at the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial. She would visit Brigitte a few times a year in the US, and eventually on a visit in 1989 she passed away in her sleep.
Watch The Zone of Interest now in select US movie theaters. It opens in the UK on February 2.
