Why Zone of Interest Is Dividing Critics

On this week’s show, Extreme Friends of the Pod and co-authors of The World Only Spins Forward, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois, fill in for Dana Stevens and Julia Turner. The hosts begin by dissecting The Zone of Interest, filmmaker Jonathan Glazer’s audacious movie about the Holocaust that’s told through the lens of Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig as they live their somewhat ordinary lives in a compound outside of Auschwitz. The film has garnered both praise and severe critique from critics, many of whom are split on Glazer’s detached aesthetic and imaginative approach to depicting genocide. The Zone of Interest has racked up five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Then, the three dive into Nyad, the (maybe?) true story of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, as she attempts to swim unassisted from Cuba to Florida. Annette Bening stars in the titular role alongside Jodie Foster, both of whom are up for Oscars (Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively). Finally, what is a good director, anyway? What does it look like, what does it mean, and is there a difference between producing, screenwriting, and directing – or is it some strange amalgamation of all three? These questions come from a listener, Emily, and the panel attempts to answer them.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses their film preferences while airborne, inspired by David Mack’s essay for Slate, “What Makes a Perfect ‘Plane Movie’?” Email us at [email protected].  Outro music: "Pull Me Out" by Mike Stringer. Endorsements: Isaac: Dheepan (2015), an exquisitely directed movie from filmmaker Jacques Audiard. In it, three Tamil refugees must pose as a family to flee war-torn Sri Lanka but land in a Paris suburb blighted by drugs.  Dan: For anyone in or heading to New York, check out Cole Escola’s play “Oh Mary!” The comedian stars as a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln and takes place in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. (You can also find Escola’s episode of Slate’s Working podcast here.)  Steve: Rebecca Solnit’s meditation on the Bay Area, loneliness, and the human impulse towards succession: “In the Shadow of Silicon Valley” for the London Review of Books.  Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.  Hosts Isaac Butler, Dan Kois, Stephen Metcalf