The War Zone

The War Zone - 1998 | 98 mins | Drama | Colour

The Production Team

Director: Tim Roth.
Producer: Dixie Linder and Sarah Radclyffe.
Executive Producer: Eric Abraham.
Associate Producer: Steve Butterworth.
Script: Alexander Stuart. (Based on his own novel.)
Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey.
Editing: Trevor Waite.
Art Director: Karen Wakefield.
Production Design: Michael Carlin.
Costume Design: Mary-Jane Reyner and Sandra Milman.
Make-up Dept: Ivana Primorac.
Sound: Jim Greenhorn, Paul Carr, Robert Farr and Ian Wilson.
Original Music: Simon Boswell.

The Cast

Ray Winstone - Dad
Lara Belmont - Jessie
Freddie Cunliffe - Tom
Tilda Swinton - Mum
Annabelle Apsion - Nurse
Kate Ashfield - Lucy
Colin Farrell - Nick

Plot Synopsis

Tim Roth's directorial debut raised some eyebrows in this gritty and depressing account of incest between a father and daughter. There's plenty to recommend about the film, the cinematography for one, and the performances of the teenager actors for another, but the uncompromising direction uneasily treads the line between hardhitting and plain exploitative.

Tom (Freddie Cunliffe) and Jessie (Lara Belmont) have recently moved to rural Devon with their parents. Tom finds the move particularly difficult and somewhat isolating, which results in him becoming more of an observer of the family than an active member. His mother (Tilda Swinton) is heavily pregnant, his father (Ray Winstone) is verbally abusive, and Jessie is increasingly open about her promiscuous ways, and he senses that something is wrong. He suspicions are soon confirmed, and the family is thrown into turmoil.