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.

In "The War Zone," First time director Tim Roth makes an impressive and smooth transition from being in front of the camera to behind it. A searing drama about incest, "The War Zone" is a brave debut by Roth. The subject matter is noncommercial, and Roth confronts it angrily, and without exploitation. Simply put, "The War Zone" is one of the best films of 1999.The film takes place in the rural Devon countryside, where a family of four has just moved from London. Events are related from the perspective of 15 year-old Tom (Freddie Cunliffe), who is unhappy with life away from the city. His 18 year-old sister, Jessie (Lara Belmont), has apparently adjusted better than he has. His parents (Ray Winstone, Tilda Swinton) seem happy and comfortable in their new home, and his mother is on the verge of delivering her third child. Then, shortly after the baby is born, Tom's world is turned upside down when he spies a covert sexual encounter between Jessie and his father. Tom confronts Jessie about the incident, but she denies it, accusing him of having an overactive imagination. He is not convinced, and sets out to learn the facts.Roth's direction is moody and austere--it emphasizes the simple details of domestic life and the ways in which families unwittingly collude to avoid the truth. He favors scenes that appear to be about nothing: Mum talking on the phone in the background, while in the foreground Dad bounces the new baby. He lingers on these uneventful moments -- as if to imply that such a genial routine can provide a smoke screen. One of the lingering questions is whether Swinton's character knows what's going on.While Roth's direction and Alexander Stuart's screenplay are integral to the film's success, the consistently high level of acting is of paramount importance. Roth has assembled an amazing quartet of actors, two of whom have not had previous screen experience, Freddie Cunliffe and Lara Belmont. The strength of Ray Winstone's performance is that he makes his character into a far more complex individual than the typical child abuser. With the exception of one scene, he is shown to be a loving, caring father and husband.The final shot of the film looks like a framed painting, the siblings huddled together alone in a bunker, held long enough that the pain and damage done to these children is apparent to everyone. When the credits begin to roll, you are almost powerless to move. A father who loves his children, and wants the best for them -- but can't stop himself from destroying what he cherishes most.

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

THE WAR ZONE is as compelling and powerful as it is disturbing and sickening. This motion picture is not for everyone, but those who manage to sit through its ~95 minute run-time will feel like they have experienced an almost unrivaled cinematic journey.I will not give away the plot/synopsis here for the benefit of those who would like to be surprised. Just know that while the film itself is not about 'War' in the conventional sense, the title is appropriate, if one realises that War can also be defined as active hostility or contention; conflict; struggle.Tim Roth is masterful in his debut as director, as he ably pushes the envelope to limits that veteran film-makers seem fearsome to approach. Roth is helped by an outstanding lead cast, half of whom are virtual unknowns. Ray Winstone and Tilda Swinton are reliable and dedicated as always, and should have garnered some more recognised plaudits for their roles. For me, the real star of this film is newcomer Lara Belmont, who delivers a stunning performance, encompassing and portraying a range of powerful emotions that will leave most veteran actresses somewhat jealous. If this film deserved only one Oscar nomination, it should have been for Supporting Actress (If it deserved two, the other should have been for Screenplay). Suffice it to say that due to its powerfully realistic approach to sensitive content, the Academy seemed to 'graciously' shun this film. I myself was not surprised, as mainstream success would have come hand-in-hand with widespread protestations.The location (shot almost entirely in Devon, England) is suitably haunting, as is the musical score. Both go long ways to emphasising and enhancing the overall theme of the motion picture. In almost every outdoor shot, the weather is bleak and rainy, which suits the atmosphere inside the house, and inside the infamous bunker. The scenic shots of the beach are especially beautiful.I say that this is one of the best films you will NEVER see because it was doomed to fail at the box office, due to its subject matter. It is very unlikely that any Cable company will show this during prime-time either. As such, your best bet will be to visit the local DVD video-store. I strongly urge you to use whatever means to see this motion picture. You will be shocked; your jaw will drop for most of the last half of the film; you will feel sickened, angry, and saddened; you will be sporadically moved to tears even long after you have left your seat. But at the end of this experience you will come to accept that you have witnessed one of the most powerful events in cinematic history. This will haunt you for some time to come.I will give this movie 4 stars (out of the conventional 4) simply because I think everyone should see it. It focuses on one of the most taboo and commonplace themes in modern families (note that statistics do very little to highlight the common nature of this theme since most of the victims remain silent) and should not be bypassed, even if it takes you more than one sitting to get through.10/10. Should enter my Top 60 at #55 or so. Unreservedly recommended.