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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Nil By Mouth

05:49 / 17.12.01

[with apologies if this has been discussed previously]

i finally saw this film on friday night. two-odd hours of unrelenting misery and hopelessness. gary oldman apparently appeared in quite a few crappy movies in order to pay for this. i nearly didn't see the end, but he obviously needed to tell his story, so i thought the least i could do was sit through it.

my point is this: i have brushed against lives like those shown, enough to know that the film was probably more of a documentary than anything else. i got nothing out of the experience except some very negative emotions - i had to phone a friend, as it were. we need to see that too many people in our rich, comfortable western lives live like this (alcohol/drug abuse, fathers beating the shit out of their wives and children) - i do not want to see fluffy disney films and pretend that misery does not exist.... i'm sure it was a cathartic experience for gary oldman, but an extremely depressing one for the viewer.

i'm not even sure where i'm going with this. i've never felt so utterly hopeless after seeing a film. has anyone else seen it? was oldman happy with it?

17:28 / 17.12.01

I know what you mean sfd. First saw it a couple of years ago when I rented it and another title. Can't remember the other video, mainly because I watched nil first and just couldn't bring myself to watch another video (I lie it was "swingers" but I still didn't watch it).

I think with a film like this (and I guess "naked" is another example) is that you have to take the little bits of up lift from the film: and now I've said that the only thing I can think of is the bit were the gran sings in the pub (actually sung by Gary oldman's mum).

I can watch the film and enjoy the performances on the one level. Yes the story and action is horrific at times but Ray and Kathy put in such excellent performances. Especially Kathy who makes you forget that, up till then, she was know for the comedy stuff she had done.

As to whether Gary Oldman was happy with the finished product I think he was. Saw a "South Bank Show" (or other art TV prog) where they followed the post production of nil.
At the end of the day he was able to tell the story he wanted to, got some great performances out of his actors and, I don't think, the studios didn't interfere with 'his baby'. Which is pretty much the least a director can ask for.

19:00 / 17.12.01

I hated Nil By Mouth. I left the cinema in a towering fury and was impossible to talk to in a civilized fashion for some time.

Don't know why, because I love Ken Loach, I loved 'Naked', I loved 'La Heine' (sp?) and other films with similar themes (the "grit" genre). I just hated this one: not because it disturbed me or depressed me... well, possibly because it depressed me more than it disturbed me, and I prefer being disturbed with a small side-helping of depression... but I just don't remember it in enough detail now.

One thing I do remember was that Kathy Burke's performance had been so feted at the time, and then when I finally saw it she had about three lines and, basically, the battered-woman make-up was doing all the acting for her. Not to diss her - I just hate the way women get instant kudos for acting victims, it makes me uncomfortable. (And I know it's the same for men, but that makes me uncomfortable in a different way.)

22:23 / 17.12.01

to be honest, kathy burke's character reminded me of a woman i met once (my then g/f's ex). she was bruised from a beating by her b/f. apparently they used to hit each other all the time.

a couple of weeks after, she committed suicide. i think she just couldn't see another way out.

22:23 / 17.12.01

Its been a while since I saw it, and I'm very sketchy on it now, but didn't the ending offer a redemptive hope? Ray Winstone went as low as he could, but the suggested upturn at the end implies a better future. I didn't find it empty.

I think SFD is right, the impact is in its documentary approach. It differs from the other 'grit' titles in that it seems to purposely lack theactrical style, like the slick camera work in 'La Haine', for example. This brings the violence home to a deeper level.

Its also given me added respect for 'little Mo' from Eastenders!

12:55 / 18.12.01

quote:Originally posted by Fra Dolcino:
Its been a while since I saw it, and I'm very sketchy on it now, but didn't the ending offer a redemptive hope? Ray Winstone went as low as he could, but the suggested upturn at the end implies a better future. I didn't find it empty.

That's one reading of the ending. Seem to remember I was depressed by it as nothing had changed. Ray Winstone's character was back in the "family" and seems to be beheaving himself (but for how long).

Suppose that's one of the things about this film: none of the characters learn from the experiences in the film. Guess it makes it more "documentary" and real life.

15:34 / 18.12.01

and the way they're all laughing about the junkie son who's just been cut up in prison.... the ending is realistic, i think. esp with ray back in the fold.