Taking place in desolate off-season Devon, the film deals with one family, made up on Mum (Swinton), Dad (Winstone) and their three children; Jessie (Belmont), Tom (Cunliffe) and new born Alice. Their house is isolated and they are newcomers to the countryside. Feeling completely cut off, Tom becomes increasingly withdrawn and convinced that something isn't entirely right with the family. Seemingly, Dad - we never learn his name - is just about perfect. He's friendly, sensitive, funny and caring. But he seems to do a lot of wandering about in various states of undress, and he is unusually close to his teenage daughter. Maybe it's just because they are an intimate family, thrown together in the strange surroundings. But Jessie is behaving very oddly and Tom discovers something strange one day, as, coming home from the town, he sees his sister and his dad in the bath together.

The film deals with the notion of a family slowly coming apart under the pressure of an appalling secret. In fact, the secret is hardly unexpected - it's revealed on the box - and is given horrible expression after the first half hour in a virtually unwatchable scene of child abuse. Completely justified, if horrific, the scene shows what other films might keep ambiguous, and manages to condemn the act without exploiting it. In a nearly impossible role, Ray Winstone triumphs. He plays the character with precise shadings, until everything he does begins to seem subtly menacing. When he explodes towards the end, the impact is unforgettable, and all the more effective for Roth's refusal to wallow in violence.

In fact, all the cast do a fine job, and the children are so well played that it's staggering to consider that neither of them are professional actors. If Tilda Swinton comes off least well, that's because her character is the least rounded. Tim Roth directs with great skill, making the wild countryside seem evocative and mildly threatening. His handling of the cast is first rate, as is usual with first films by actors, and he keeps the film short and punchy. The main problem with the film, which also affected the book, is that the second half descends into melodrama, and the resolution isn't really very satisfactory. However, the closing moments do resonate after the film is over, so it's unfair to be too critical of the writer.

Technically, the film is first rate. The lighting is moody and atmospheric, and the production design is just right. The use of the bunker on the clifftop, where the horror takes place and the title partly comes from, is particularly effective. Best of all, Simon Boswell's score is simply gorgeous, adding poignancy to what is already an unbearably sad film.

Film Four have produced a very pleasing DVD. The picture quality is excellent. The image is anamorphic 2.35:1 - Roth was right to shoot in scope, since it gives an epic quality to the images and this extends to the emotions - and is beautifully clear and sharp. Some minor artifacting in some of the night scenes, but otherwise I can't fault the transfer. The subtle use of colour comes off very nicely as well. The sound is more understated than you might expect from a 5.1 mix, but is effective, and the ambient sounds of the sea which dominate so many scenes are beautifully recreated in the surround effetcs. The excellent score is well represented as well.

The DVD contains a number of extra features. There is a brief documentary about the making of the film, which is more interesting than the usual featurette nonsense, but still irritatingly lacking in detail. This is accompanied by some location footage, which is a bit confusing, and a set of interviews which are irritatingly edited into little "soundbites" rather than allowed to flow naturally. The trailer is present, if unmemorable, but the most unusual feature is the audio description for people with sight problems. An excellent idea, and something that should be on more discs. The narration is sensitive, accurate and well spoken. There are 16 chapters, some of them very long and others oddly brief, and the menus are static but accompanied by the music score.

This is an excellent film which is highly recommended for those who aren't too easily upset. I know several people who think it is too unpleasant to watch, but I think it is good to see a British film which deals with extreme situations with unflinching realism, without being too preoccupied with "style". In some respects, it reminded me of recent American films such as "Happiness", although it is not as brilliantly on-the-edge and daring as that film. The DVD is a very nice package, and deserves to be a success. Highly recommended.

Mike Sutton