The War Zone (1999)

Tim Roth dons the directing hat for the first time and brings to the screen a shattering tale of incest and child abuse. Alexander Stuart adapts from his own novel and it stars Ray Winstone, Lara Belmont, Freddie Cunliffe and Tilda Swinton. Story is about a family who have moved from London to the Devonshire coast. The son, Tom, is unhappy and feels alienated in the new surroundings, but when he discovers a dark family secret, things become much much worse.It's an uncomfortable viewing experience at times, making it a film you don't readily recommend, but Roth's approach to the story gives out a powerful message without exploitation or sermonising. The script is deliberately taut and sparse, while the marrying up of the crashing waves and jagged rocks of the locale with the emotional turmoil is a deft piece of directing. The use of newcomers Belmont and Cunliffe add a potent sense of realism to the whole thing, aided no end by an intelligent screenplay that doesn't go for conventionality. Quite simply it's an unforgettable film, a claustrophobic emotional battering ram of celluloid. 9/10

Tom (Freddie Cunliffe) is bitter at the family being moved from London to rural Devon. His dad (Ray Winstone) crashes the car taking his pregnant mum (Tilda Swinton) to the hospital. She has a baby girl. Tom accuses his older sister Jessie (Lara Belmont) of having sex with their father which she denies. Colin Farrell plays local boy Nick who takes a fancy to Jessie.This is a dark disturbing story of incest and the conflicting blame that occurs. It's Tim Roth's directorial debut. He tries to make this a quiet moody film. The extended desolate landscape scenes are fine but I don't like quietly waiting for the actors to speak. I also don't like the Tom character although I grow to accept him. I'm not impressed with Cunliffe's performance but it could very well be his character. On the other hand, Lara Belmont is compelling. The final act is terrific with Ray Winstone acting up a storm. On a side note, Farrell's role is rather small. This is a disturbing compelling movie despite a slow start.

a story about hate.against a fundamental sin. against yourself. against lost of a space. against universe as reaction of age. gray lines. delicate subject. truth as drawing of profound sin. and search of sense for each character. a film like a stone in ash. harsh touch, memories of fire, culpability, fear, need of freedom, gloomy shadows. most cruel - the scene of ordinary family. and powerful feeling to be one of many other similar stories. nothing else. only a bleak circle like deep hole. and the art of Tim Roth to create affective mist of a situation. because the crime is only fruit of a hopeless situation . the man. his family. the power and levels of frustration. silence and fragile world of a teenager. a case. but not isolated. a cry. only as sign of empty space.

Tim Roth is an excellent actor. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a variety of personas, taking on roles that are both challenging and intense. It is apparent that, as a director, he has the same talent. Tim Roth's first and only directorial effort to date, The War Zone, is a haunting picture of family. Featuring perfect acting, intense scenes, and an overall atmospheric darkness that coincides with the main themes, The War Zone is an excellent film. It is also one of the most difficult movies I've ever had the opportunity to watch.The film opens with Tom (played by Freddie Cunliffe), a teenage boy who is angry with his family for moving away from the city and into Middle of Nowhere, England. He misses London and he's not getting attention from his family because of his mother's (Tilda Swinton) pregnancy. Along with his mother, Tom lives with his father (Ray Winstone) and older sister, Jessie (Lara Belmont). Not long after the film begins, the mother's water breaks and the four of them make their way to the hospital. It is a dark, rainy night and, on the way, the father flips the car. Luckily, everyone is OK despite a few minor scrapes and bruises. Mum delivers the baby and the kids go home with Dad. The car accident is not mentioned again throughout the film, but it serves as a kind of foreshadowing of events to come. The normal schedule of life, interrupted by something startling, is the basis of this film.After Mum comes home and the baby settles into the home, things seem to go back to normal with this family. One day, however, Tom sees something disturbing. He and Mum and when they get back, Tom goes around to the side of the house and sees his father and sister in a position that looks a little too close for comfort. He confronts Jessie later, but she calls him a "perv" and says he didn't see what he thought he did. Tom is determined, though, and his search for the truth leads him to discovering the most horrible of family secrets and what unfolds is an emotional reckoning that no family should ever have to face.This is a devastating look into the degradation of a seemingly normal family and Tim Roth's direction shows that perfectly. Throughout the film, the entire atmosphere is dark and it is typically rainy. Even the beach, which is shown several times, looks like an unhappy place. The actors play each role to absolute perfection. Tilda Swinton is very good as the mother, a woman who is seemingly unaware of the terrible secret bubbling below the surface. Ray Winstone is terrifying as Dad, a father who seems very loving on the outside. On the inside, though, there is a monster waiting to attack. The two children are played by newcomers Lara Belmont and Freddie Cunliffe. Tim Roth has said in interviews that these two were selected because of their fresh faces, the fact that the audience would know them as their characters instead of actors. This is very effective. Lara Belmont is heartbreaking as Jessie, a teenage girl forced to put up certain walls. This is one of the best performances I've ever seen from an actress of that age group. Without her, this film would not be what it is. Freddie Cunliffe is excellent as Tom, the boy who discovers the truth about his family and must decide what to do with his newfound knowledge.The War Zone is consistently bleak and is often relentless. It shows abuse for what it is: an unnecessary evil that affects the lives of everyone involved. This film is never a happy story. It is free of clichés and makes for some difficult viewing. If a person can get past that, though, The War Zone is a rewarding film experience. Tim Roth has accomplished something great here. I can't wait to see him do something else in the future.9/10