Review of The War Zone (1999) by Steve H — 22 Jul 2007

The most terrifying movie ever made -- terrifying not as in a Hitchcock or John Carpenter flick, but as an unbearably human and all-too-real story of incest in a closely-knit family unit. At times, the movie is unbearable, and not just the scenes where first-time director Roth goes directly for the jugular with graphic portrayals of rape and sexual exploitation; most chilling in the quiet scenes where the son (unforgettably played by Freddie Cunliffe) quietly watches his father and sister as the continue to conspire in the lie which is sure to break his family up.

Oh but this movie so sad, so filled with bitter cynicism toward what it means to be a family, what it means to gain trust, and the ultimate significance of loss of such a trust. The film is told from the point of view of the son, but Lara Belmont's performance as the torn daughter, at once quietly conceding to her father's lecherous advances while trying desperately to maintain a sophisticated air about her exotic sexual exploits to her curious younger brother, is beyond description.

I think it may be one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema; not just physically what she is required to do (which has to be seen to be believed, in some circumstances), but in maintaining utter believability in this deeply fractured and painfully insecure young woman, pitifully putting on a facade of indifference.

Ray Winstone and Tilda Swinton are exceptional as the parents, too, but this is is Cunliffe and Belmont's film, and both are frighteningly engrossing. Roth's direction is perfect, and achingly beautiful piano score by Simon Boswell is gut-wrenching.

A masterpiece, one of the greatest films ever made.