The War Zone (1999)

An alienated teenager, saddened that he has moved away from London, must find a way to deal with a dark family secret.

Director:

Tim Roth

Writers:

Alexander Stuart (novel), Alexander Stuart (screenplay)

Stars:

Ray Winstone, Lara Belmont, Freddie Cunliffe

9 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Ray Winstone	...	Dad
Lara Belmont	...	Jessie
Freddie Cunliffe	...	Tom
Tilda Swinton	...	Mum
Colin Farrell	...	Nick (as Colin J. Farrell)
Aisling O'Sullivan	...	Carol
Kate Ashfield	...	Lucy
Megan Thorp	...	Baby Alice
Kim Wall	...	Barman
Annabelle Apsion	...	Nurse

Storyline

Tom (Freddie Cunliffe), an alienated 15 year old boy, finds the that opportunity for close observation of his father, after their move from London to rural Devon and the birth of a new baby, reveals a world run through with darkness and pain. Tom is unable to reconcile the life he's known what he sees with his own eyes, and blames his 18 year old sister, Jessie (Lara Belmont). Both Tom and Jessie struggle to find some path to truth and sanity as the human forces around them work in polarity with their isolation to either assist them, or destroy them.

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Plot Keywords:

secret | baby | pain | family secret | childbirth | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, some involving molestation, and for nudity, language and a scene of violence

Details

Official Sites:

Atlanta Films Official site

Country:

Italy UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 June 1999 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Tim Roth's The War Zone

Filming Locations:

Hartland, Devon, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$18,335 (USA) (10 December 1999)

Gross:

$237,029 (USA) (31 March 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Fandango, Mikado Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A newly updated and fully revised 20th Anniversary Edition of The War Zone (novel) was published in 2009, including both the original British and American opening chapters, an Afterword by Tim Roth and a Diary of the Making of the Film by Alexander Stuart.

User Reviews

One of the best of the 90's

Strange, opaque and deeply unsettling, the War Zone is the only way a film about a topic as horrifying as incest should be. Tim Roth, realizing that the family of the film is too far gone to elicit much empathy from the audience, simply tries to convey the story as truthfully as possible. With crushing results.

At the beginning of the film, we're introduced to a nameless clan: a genial father (Ray Winstone), a mother exhausted from recently giving birth (Tilda Swinton), a sullen teenage boy (Freddie Cunliffe), and his strikingly beautiful older sister (Lara Belmont). All four have recently moved from London to the remote, seaside village of Devon, leaving the two kids feeling isolated and adrift.

What follows for the next hour or so is a brilliantly confusing experience--Roth presents a series of odd quirks about the family that makes the audience question what is merely eccentricity and what hints at something darker. Why, for example, does the family walk around naked most of the time? Don't those siblings seem slightly too "affectionate" given that they're teenagers? What exactly does the boy see his father doing with his sister in the bathroom that bothers him so? All of this mystery leads up to an absolutely harrowing scene which leaves no mystery as to the dynamic between father and daughter. More emotionally explicit than physically so, the scene is rightfully regarded as one of cinema's more horrible acts of on-screen violence, yet doesn't feel gratuitous in the slightest.

This film is as sparse as possible, with almost no inflection or melodramatic effects. Scenes are generally shot in long takes with a static camera (gorgeously framed in widescreen). There is little excess dialogue, and almost no music. Often we are placed into the middle of confusing scenes that are open to numerous interpretations. We more or less have to come to our own conclusions about what is going on. The teenagers are as inexpressive and introspective as teenagers in real life, which makes there unexpected emotional outbursts all the more powerful.

Why Roth hasn't made any other films is beyond me. He has a lean, cinematic sensibility which is unmatched by any other actor-director. I hope he gets an opportunity to use it again soon.