Mixed feelings on this one. It's deep and unsettling, but drags on long

I did not know anything about this movie other than what the imdb blurb said, that the commander of Auschwitz and family lives next door to the camp.

Once you realize you are watching a calm lifestyle, reminiscent of a southern plantation in the US complete with servants, with the unseen horrors quite literally in the background - it begins to uncomfortably gnaw at you. You see this family deal with mundane things while the unspeakable is happening at dad's workplace just across the garden.

So this juxtaposition is sustained for the whole of the movie, and it is effective. There are moments where it comes to the surface, but those are few and far between. There were times where I felt this dragged on too long. But ultimately I found myself thinking about this movie sitting around alone, the next day. It's certainly not a waste of time, and worth seeing. But, maybe because we have seen this ugly chapter in history portrayed powerfully many times before, it struggles to hold our attention.

I did not know this was based on a novel, and from what I've read about it (just wikipedia) it is loosely based, and does not resemble what the heart of the novel was about but more its setting.

Performances were great, and the low tone of the film works for what it tries to do.