The film focuses entirely on the Hoss family, in which we mainly see the daily events passing in review. Mrs. Hoss is very satisfied with what she has achieved, a beautiful life, a few children and a beautiful garden + a large greenhouse that she herself has built, when her mother comes along at one point she proudly shows her what she has achieved, at a certain point you wonder whether she knows what is happening behind that wall, but later in the film she places a comment to a domestic helper that shows that she is indeed aware.
The director has consciously chosen not to show any horror of the camp itself, the only indications that something is wrong are through sounds, the barking of dogs, the cries of children, shots in the background, and the screams of camp guards. But nothing is shown.
That is a choice you make but I didn't think it was a strong choice, the contrast between camp and the happy home is never shown, what remains is a rather boring succession of family scenes combined with a bit of drama when Mrs. Hoss is upset as it turns out that they might be transferred.
That this film is so acclaimed is a bit of a mystery to me, I don't find anything special about it and at times the film is even quite boring.
The director has consciously chosen not to show any horror of the camp itself, the only indications that something is wrong are through sounds, the barking of dogs, the cries of children, shots in the background, and the screams of camp guards. But nothing is shown.
That is a choice you make but I didn't think it was a strong choice, the contrast between camp and the happy home is never shown, what remains is a rather boring succession of family scenes combined with a bit of drama when Mrs. Hoss is upset as it turns out that they might be transferred.
That this film is so acclaimed is a bit of a mystery to me, I don't find anything special about it and at times the film is even quite boring.