This is not a film for the weak nor is it a film for the masses as they probably would hate it anyway.  The film takes too long to develop, there is minimal action, no special effects (save a car accident), and two new comers in the key roles.  Oh yeah, the content: incest.  This is a film about the ugly side of human nature, the reality of the world.  It could have been done in an awful way pointing fingers and preaching.  Instead it is handled in a real way.  The audience is just that, an audience.  We are presented the information from an impartial position and allowed to make our own conclusions.  Even the ending is ambiguous letting you decide for yourself what happens next. I won't spoil that for anyone. I thought the material was handled well.

    Let's start at the beginning.  We open and already are drawn into the scope of the cinematography and the beauty of the landscape.  We meet the happy family who coexist as any family would.  The father is working, the brother and sister are joking around, the mother is expecting and still providing for her family.  All is very copasetic in their world.  In fact it's so normal that it borders on boring to watch.  I'm already wondering what I've gotten myself into.  Finally the mother's water breaks, and there's the first (and depending on point of view, only) action scene in the film, the car race to the hospital and ensuing crash.  They all survive, scraped up but well.  The baby is born and we go back to the normality of family life.  Why'd I start this so late in the evening? 

   Finally the weirdness starts happening, there's nudity, and sneaking around, and slowly this normal family shell begins to break.  We see things through the son's eyes.  We learn that something is not right, then we find out what that something may be, but not who's involved.  Then we see the big picture. 

     It's ugly, and it's beautiful.  I was captivated in the story unfolding, and sickened by the activities.  This film is spectacularly ugly in its scope.  The cinematography throughout is excellent.  The music is beautiful and haunting and fits the film perfectly.  But the thing that I thought made this film was the acting.  The 3 main actors, Cunliffe, Belmont, and Winstone, really drove this film.  The realism and chemistry is astounding considering that this is the first film for the two young actors.  They were just marvelous to watch.  Roth directed the film well, also in his debut.  Let's just say that while I was thoroughly disgusted and sickened by the film, it as an excellent film, with excellent build, a solid finish, excellent acting, cinematography, and score.  There was one scene that seemed out of place (the London scene), but did help build the character of Tom.  Other than that a solid all around film, with only its rewatchability hurting it in my book (the same happens to Schindler's List).  My new favorite from '99.  9.5/10