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
From metacritic.com
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Title: The War Zone (1999)
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9 wins & 12 nominations.
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Kate Ashfield | ... | Lucy | |
| Annabelle Apsion | ... | Nurse | |
| Lara Belmont | ... | Jessie | |
 |
Freddie Cunliffe | ... | Tom |
| Colin Farrell | ... | Nick (as Colin J Farrell) | |
|
|
Aisling O'Sullivan | ... | Carol |
| Tilda Swinton | ... | Mum | |
|
|
Megan Thorp | ... | Baby Alice |
| Kim Wall | ... | Barman | |
| Ray Winstone | ... | Dad | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Suddenly, the moody 15-year-old, Tom, and his 18-year-old sister, Jessie, find themselves relocated from the hustle and bustle of urban London to the sullen silence of wind-swept rural Devon, at a little but neat cottage in the middle of nowhere. Dad is caring and kind, and very much in love with mum who has just given birth; however, an accidental glimpse of a disturbing and well-hidden secret in the family will bring Tom face-to-face with shock, denial, and ultimately, rage. What mystery could be so appalling that threatens to bring everyone in the family to their knees? Written by Nick Riganas
Plot Keywords:
family secret | baby | rape of a minor | father daughter incest | child abuse |Taglines:
When the worst of men hides in a family with no history.Genres:
DramaMotion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for sexual content, some involving molestation, and for nudity, language and a scene of violence | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
11 June 1999 (Italy) See more »Also Known As:
Tim Roth's The War Zone See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$18,335, 12 December 1999, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$254,441, 6 June 2013Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Jessie: Saw me what?
Tom: In the bath...
Jessie: Yeah?
Tom: What were you doing?
Jessie: What do you think? I got in and he got out.
Tom: That's not what I saw.
Jessie: Well, that's all it was.
Tom: Where were you?
Jessie: It's a pretty weird thing you're suggesting if you're saying what I think you're saying. I haven't told you to f@ck off or anything, which I probably should've. Nothing happened, OK? I'd tell you.
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Tim Roth was so apprehensive at the film's debut at Sundance, he and Ray Winstone did tequila shots in the projectionist's booth to calm their nerves. See more »Quotes
Tom: I saw you.Jessie: Saw me what?
Tom: In the bath...
Jessie: Yeah?
Tom: What were you doing?
Jessie: What do you think? I got in and he got out.
Tom: That's not what I saw.
Jessie: Well, that's all it was.
Tom: Where were you?
Jessie: It's a pretty weird thing you're suggesting if you're saying what I think you're saying. I haven't told you to f@ck off or anything, which I probably should've. Nothing happened, OK? I'd tell you.
[...]
See more »
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Probably the worst thing about Tim Roth's audacious directorial debut is its title: 'The War Zone' conjures images of something rather noisier, and less subtle, than this film about aberrant sexuality within a family unit. Roth is brave enough to show love among the hate, and to assign a limited degree of complicit guilt to the apparent victim: the film gains greatly from both of these decisions. He also has interesting visual ideas: the film is full of lonely, widescreen images in which the central subjects appear almost lost; and homely Devon has never looked wilder and less civilised than it does here, depicted in winter and at night. Roth also gets great performances from all his cast: in what is essentially a four-hander, Tilda Swinton is good in a limited part, Ray Winstone shows (not for the first time) that he has talents beyond those required for his customary hard-man roles, but it's the young actors who are most outstanding: Freddie Cunliffe as the troubled boy who discovers dark secrets, and especially the beautiful, opaque Laura Belmont who is simply tremendous as his sexually aware, not-as-cool-as-she-seems sister. At time the soundtrack seems a bit generic, and I'm not entirely convinced by the open ending, but this is still a better film than many directors make in their careers. On the strength of this movie, Roth should enjoy a long career behind the camera.