The Zone of Interest (2023)

This is not an easy watch. A more mundane view of what life must have been life back in 1940s Germany, when it was much easier to stand in line and not question the atrocities that were occurring all around, for fear of one's own livelihood. We see the domestic life of a commandant and his family, whose backyard features a view of a furnace that is constantly burning. There are scenes in this film that are downright chilling to the bone. I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy.

4 moments of quiet horror out of 5

UNDER THE SKIN [2013]

Director Jonathan Glazer perfects the haunting sense of discomfort he excelled with in Birth in the abnormal slow-burning sci-fi Under The Skin.
Scarlett Johansson is effectively cold yet sympathetic as an alien (in disguise as a woman) that hunts down unsuspecting Scotsmen to feed their innards to her home planet.  Sparse with it's dialogue, Glazer allows the visually stunning photography and body language to tell the story that almost plays like what would happen if Stanley Kubrick directed Species.  Acting as a metaphorical tale about sexual identity, racism and class structure the film will probably repulse the average viewer with it's artistic style and finer plot-points buried beneath odd photography and music.
It truly is a thing of atmospheric beauty that doesn't shy away from getting uncomfortably under your skin.

4 mouthfuls of cake out of 5

BIRTH [2004]

Birth is a creepy little mystery, from director Jonathan Glazer, that seems like a mixture of Stanley Kubrick and Roman Polanski (Rosemary's Baby haircut included).
This intensely hypnotizing film tells the story of a widow who meets an odd little boy who swears he's her dead husband reincarnated.  Both Nicole Kidman and Cameron Bright turn in some immensely haunted performances that will leave many a little uncomfortable with the more intimate scenes.  There's some flaws here and there, that breaks the tense atmosphere but all in all, Glazer proves he can craft a beautiful piece of thoughtful cinema that deserves more acclaim.

3½ buried secrets out of 5

SEXY BEAST [2000]

Director Jonathan Glazer's feature length debut comes in the form of Sexy Beast, a profanity riddled crime drama where you know graphic violence is going to erupt at any given moment.
It follows the story of a retired thief who is bullied into doing one last job by a frightening gangster that won't take no as an answer.
The first half of this surprisingly short film is actually quite intriguing, mostly due to Ben Kingsley's absolutely phenomenal performance, that's executed with graceful viciousness and intimidating hilarity.  However the intrigue completely deflates in the second half as it falls into complete predictability and tries way to hard to set itself up as a run-of-the-mill crime drama reeking of Guy Richie.

3 heart-breaking boulders out of 5