Nil By Mouth
(1998)
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Gary Oldman's directorial debut offers a gritty, profane look inside the mean streets of South London, where drug addiction, poverty and abuse hold sway. This is a semi-autobiographical picture of paternal anger and alcohol abuse from father Ray (a menacing and remarkable Ray Winstone), causing bouts of often unbearable tension and shocking domestic violence against his family. The son (Creed-Miles) is battling heroin while his weary resigned wife Valerie (Burke, in an incredible performance) tries to keep out of his way. A superb and cautionary tale of the downward spiral of self-destruction and tested loyalties, shot through with true humour. With a score by Eric Clapton and winner of the Best Actress award for Kathy Burke at the Cannes Film Festival. |
This harrowing directorial debut from actor Gary Oldman centres on violence and alcoholism within a working-class south London family. Although the film is not specifically autobiographical, Oldman has drawn from his own background to create a portrait of dysfunctional domestic life that is both convincing and compelling. Ray Winstone is brilliant in the central role as the alienated husband and father trapped in a descending spiral of drunken rage, while Kathy Burke matches Winstone's intensity — and won the best actress award at Cannes — for her performance as the brutalised wife. Though uncompromising in its portrayal of violence, Nil by Mouth tempers its bleakness with moments of tender understanding and wounding insight; in short, it's a must-see.
Halliwell's Film Guide
A bleak and unsparing account of devastated life in the slums, where drinks and drugs provide a momentary escape and masculinity is measured by the size of the fist; this semi-autobiographical drama is given vitality by the conviction of its performances.