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The War Zone

"When the worst of men hides in a family with no history."

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

Top Cast

  • Freddie Cunliffe

    Freddie Cunliffe

    Tom

  • Lara Belmont

    Lara Belmont

    Jessie

  • Ray Winstone

    Ray Winstone

    Dad

  • Tilda Swinton

    Tilda Swinton

    Mum

  • Kate Ashfield

    Kate Ashfield

    Lucy

  • Aisling O'Sullivan

    Aisling O'Sullivan

    Carol

  • Megan Thorp

    Megan Thorp

    Baby Alice

  • Colin Farrell

    Colin Farrell

    Nick

  • Kim Wall

    Kim Wall

    Barman

Overview

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

Rating

6.8 / 10
195 Reviews
2 Popular

1 Reviews

  • John Chard
    John Chard
    9 Feb 28, 2016

    Darkness in Devon. 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

Trailers & Clips

Recommendations

The Cement Garden

After the death of her husband, the mother of Julie, Jack, Sue and Tom begins to suffer from a mysterious illness. Aware that she is going to have to go into hospital she opens a bank account for the children, so that they can be financially self-sufficient and will be able to avoid being taken into care by the authorities. Unfortunately she also dies and Julie and Jack (the older, teenage children) decide to hide her body in the basement so that they can have free reign of their household. Soon Tom has taken to dressing as a girl whilst Sue has become increasingly reticent, confiding only to her diary, meanwhile Jack and Julie sense an attraction developing for each other. However Julie's new beau, Derek, threatens to unearth the many dark secrets within this family as he becomes increasingly suspicious of Jack.

The Cement Garden

6.7 1993