Opening Sequences and Setting - 'The Zone of Interest'

In this blog post, I am going to be analysing how the setting is introduced to the audience in the opening sequence of 'The Zone of Interest'.

The scene begins with an establishing shot of the picturesque setting (creating a false sense of security for the spectator). The use of long take allows the audience to take in the beauty of the lake, the forest, the beating sun and just listen to the calming sounds of birds chirping. This instantly creates a sense of tranquility for the audience and allows them to relax and fully absorb all the open space. The director uses loose framing to highlight how free the characters we see are and how they can enjoy the natural world. 

The use of static shots and little camera movement helps emphasise the serene setting and really encourages the audience to take in every detail. However, the director may be slightly foreshadowing for what’s to come as through his clever camerawork he forces the audience to witness how much freedom a typical family got during the Holocaust, therefore the audience may expect to see a contrast of what life was like for those in a concentration camp, as they were deprived of such beauty and instead confined to a small, man-made area where they were unable to appreciate the beauty of the world.