British actor Tim Roth makes a bold directorial debut with this drama about a working-class family unable to confront the traumas within their home. War Zone is told from the viewpoint of 15-year-old Tom, who is brooding over his family's relocation from London to an isolated rural hamlet when he unwittingly discovers a harrowing truth about his family, deliberately and desperately hidden. Roth lingers over wide-angle shots that distance the action and emphasize the characters' physical relationships with one another; some of the most effective moments are those where silence allows gestures and looks to speak volumes. Based on Alexander Stuart's controversial 1989 novel, Roth tells a brutal, psychologically true story and delivers a darkly beautiful film.