Channel 4 hailed for airing ‘chilling’ war movie without any adverts and you can watch it for free now: ‘Astonishing’
The Zone of Interest is unlike any war movie you've ever seen before
Channel 4 has just aired one of the most “chilling” Oscar-nominated movies of the decade without any ad breaks – but there’s a good reason.
Picking something to watch from the best films on Netflix has its advantages. You’re not beholden to a channel’s schedule, there’s a broader range of movies to stream, and (if you have the right plan), you don’t need to endure any adverts.
However, there is something slightly magical about turning on the TV, stumbling onto something you’ve never seen just as it’s starting, and deciding to give it a go.
On Sunday (January 25) night, many Channel 4 viewers across the UK watched an “astonishing” film for the first time. And, as a bonus, there weren’t any ad breaks.
Why Channel 4 aired The Zone of Interest without adverts
The Zone of Interest had its network premiere on Channel 4 on Sunday.
Directed by Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Under the Skin), the acclaimed WWII drama follows Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (The White Lotus star Christian Friedel), who moves into a house beside the concentration camp with his wife and family.
It’s an arresting, immersive experience, honing the nearby sounds of gunshots, screams, and the camp’s machinery to keep you keenly aware of the (un)imaginable horrors beyond the garden wall.
However, you’d be hard-pressed to find even one scene to insert an ad break. That, plus the fact that it’s a film that singularly reckons with the Holocaust and is designed to make viewers feel uncomfortable, will be why Channel 4 decided to air it without adverts.
On Reddit, one user praised the broadcaster, writing, “Live and uninterrupted telly equates to a highly immersive experience, so bravo.”
“God damn I skipped watching it again because I thought ads would ruin it. Top work C4,” another viewer commented.
“It is maybe the second-worst film I could think of for watching in the format of commercially-driven terrestrial broadcast, because of the effect the constant breaks in immersion would have. Huge kudos to 4 for doing this,” a third added.
How to watch The Zone of Interest on streaming
The Zone of Interest is currently available to stream for free via Channel 4’s website and app.
Rather extraordinarily, there aren’t any ads on its on-demand version, either. Excluding the five-second Channel 4 logo at the start, you can watch the whole movie ad-free without paying any extra.
“What an amazing thing to do! It’s an astonishing, hypnotic film that can only be shown this way,” another viewer commented.
As one user pointed out, Channel 4 has done this before. For example, its See No Evil documentary about John Smyth aired without any adverts.
Read more: The best movies on Amazon Prime Video right now
