Culture Gabfest: Why Zone of Interest Is Dividing Critics
On this week\u2019s 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\u2019s audacious movie about the Holocaust that\u2019s told through the lens of Nazi commandant Rudolf H\xf6ss 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\u2019s 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 \u2013 or is it some strange amalgamation of all three? These questions come from a listener, Emily, and the panel attempts to answer them.\xa0\nIn the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses their film preferences while airborne, inspired by David Mack\u2019s essay for Slate, \u201cWhat Makes a Perfect \u2018Plane Movie\u2019?\u201d\nEmail us at culturefest@slate.com.\xa0\nOutro music: "Pull Me Out" by Mike Stringer.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices