The Grey Zone

This drama is based on the play, written by the director. It draws from the writings of Miklos Nyiszli (“Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eyewitness Account”) and Primo Levi’s “The Drowned and the Saved. The film is about the Sonderkommando in Auschwitz-Birkenau, units of prisoners who worked in the gas chambers (showers) and in the crematorium. They dealt with emptying the gas chambers and burning the bodies. For this work, they received more food than other prisoners and their lives were slightly prolonged. They were replaced every few months and then gassed themselves. In 7th October 1944 the Sonderkommando succeeded in blowing up at least one of the gas chambers. All the prisoners who took part in the uprising were killed and the four prisoners who were responsible for getting the explosives were killed 6th January 1945. Based on the play "The Grey Zone", and on the novel "Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account" by Miklós Nyiszli.