The War Zone (1999)

This film won heaps of accolades in Europe when it made the festival circuit. There really isn't much question as to why it didn't make it into the mainstream cinemas: it's graphic. Really really graphic.

A London family of four moves to the coast. The teenage son who has been away at a boarding school for the past 2 years is home and bored. While a baby sister is born and the family adjusts to this rural setting, the boy discovers the awful truth of incest being committed between his father and older sister. His struggle throughout the film is how to uncover this with the least amount of casualties.

With waves crashing on jagged rocks, a messy and drab unpacked house, steady rain and mist and a fantastic car wreck, it is the perfect setting for this unconventional war. Though the older sister won awards and notoriety for her role in the film, I consider her brother the protagonist and an incredible actor.

The issue of sexual abuse is dealt with in numerous films, but this one keeps the issue fairly black and white. There isn't much sympathy for the perpetrator. The portrayal of abuse is harsh, as it should be.

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