Admit One

Synopsis: A troubled teenager discovers that his father has sexual encounters with his sister.

Technical Details

Title The War Zone Country Italy, United Kingdom Genre Drama Language English Director Tim Roth Cast Ray Winstone, Lara Belmont, Freddie Cunliffe, Tilda Swinton Year 1999     My Rating More Info IMDB Buy Amazon

Review

In this disturbing family drama teenager Tom (Freddie Cunliffe) has trouble adapting to the rural life in Devon after moving from London with the family. He keeps to himself and mostly observes the comings and goings of the members of his seemingly normal household. He does not get along with his dad (Ray Winstone), and he does not get a lot of attention from his mom (Tilda Swinton), who is in the last stages of a pregnancy. His uninhibited sister Jessie (Lara Belmont) is an object of fascination to him, and when he accidentally finds out that she is having sexual relationships with dad he will become even more obsessed with her.

The War Zone is Tim Roth’s directorial debut. It deals with the subjects of incest and abuse with crudeness and has scenes (one in particular) that will make many viewers want to close their eyes. Overall it is an extremely difficult film to watch, exclusively for an adult audience. While the acting is very good, the movie lacks in technical qualities, featuring a slow paced editing, an almost nonexistent sound track and a not very polished plot.

©2008 by Miguel Grinberg

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