Nil by Mouth (1997)

this film is incredibly harsh. it took a while for me to get into it - accent barrier and a little too close to reality make it a tough one to watch. but it really is a great film - horrifying and depressing. i don't think i could ever watch it again, it is too hard.

kathy burke is great as is her terrifying husband. cheers to gary oldman for doing good quality work.

Fmovies: I WAS (allegorically) the Lil girl on the stairs watching it all, this film had me in tears literally, if you have been lucky enough NOT to have lived through this kind of abuse, rock on, but for those of us who have been there this is a shockingly accurate depiction, I cried all the way through (I used to have every Monday off school to get a new set of false teeth for my mother). This film is so close to the heart it is unbelievable, and I am only padding this out to make the minimum review length why should i need 10 lines of text why should i need 10 lines of textwhy should i need 10 lines of textwhy should i need 10 lines of textwhy should i need 10 lines of textwhy should i need 10 lines of text

Kathy Burke portrays the battered wife extremely well - taking it as part and parcel of being an east-end wide-boy's other half. It is inenvitable that she will go back to him (Ray Winstone) after her severe beating as that's the life she knows and as she holds traditional family views of marriage she wants her child to be raised by a mother and a father. She believes in love.The extended family plays a major role in supporting her, her mother (Leila Morse) is a hardened

woman but with a heart. They are not shocked by the going-ons of the

destruction caused by alcohol and drug addition. They just get on with it and this is a powerful message that with family, love and support, you can conquer any mountain.People see it as a depressing and disturbing film but the final

gestures and actions of all the characters suggest otherwise. Gary Oldman has done a great job in directing this film and it was brave of him and his sister to tackle a very difficult subject which has obviously affected their lives so deeply.

Nil by Mouth fmovies. I liked this films' authentic look.

I have middle class friends who describe this film as "depressing".

To me it was uplifting. It was great to see all these working class characters, even the horrible one, portrayed with a feeling of dignity and sincereness.

Not your average plastic movie. Real life, real emotions. I liked it, because it at last portrayed the life of the modern underclass with realism. The characters take over the story in this film, so if you like that, take a look. Thank you, Gary Oldman.

This is a piece of debutant film making at its best.

Oldman set about to create a gritty and colourful portrayal of the rough end of life in Saafff Lhaandan and in that respect he was f**kin sucessfull you bunch ah chaaaants!

The camera work is disjointed and initially appears clumsy, but the expertly chosen angles and focuses soon become enthralling. It is nicely gritty and rough around the edges. Take a special note of the excellent sound design - it really adds to the overall atmosphere of the cityscape Olman so expertly creates.

The narrative progression is pretty much non-existent. Like all realist films its not really about what is happening, but the broader issues exposed by smaller events within the film. These include some brutal moments from Winstone and also some heavy drinking/clubbing binges.

The acting is so good and so believable that I forgot I was watching a film - it is almost a documentary and those not familiar with the actors within the film may be fooled into thinking that is what they were watching.

Olman also introduces some subtle symbolism (the moment with the red balloon for example) but is never heavy handed or distracting.

Winstone and Burke really are stunning in this film, and the ending is a brilliant piece of ambiguity and hope. CHeck out Winstone's subtle touching moments with his daughter - it brings a tear to the eye.

Classic in the modern sense of the word.

The words "gritty", "British" and "drama" usually and rightfully condemn a film to the Guy "Windsor" Ritchie hall of excrement . Having seen these terms applied to Oscar contenders like "Goodbye Charlie Bright", "Rancid aluminium" and "Love, honour and obey", I wasn't really expecting much from this film. Saying I was wrong would be a huge understatement. "Nil by Mouth" is an awesome achievement. A razor sharp dissection of a working class south London family that delivers the required punch on so many levels that you need to have a wash after watching it. It covers a vast spectrum of emotions that will see you (especially if you're British) laugh, cry and more often than not, hold your head in despair at witnessing an all too true account of what it is to be at the bottom of the British class system. It is unflinchingly brutal and somewhat depressing, yet at the same time shows how with guts, determination and a healthy sense of humour, people can survive even the most bleak and hopeless of situations. Kathy Burke is outstanding and Ray Winstone is dependable as ever, but Gary Oldman's screenplay and direction are the stars of the show. This script could stand on it's own as a fine social commentary on par, and not dissimilar from John King's "The Football Factory" and "Headhunters". Thankfully Oldman has also realised that in terms of direction, "gritty" does not have to mean the static, cold and quite frankly boring as hell style that so many British films have. The camera moves with a documentary feel energy, yet the slick cinematography keeps it from ever looking cheap. Quite simply one of the greatest British films of all time. 9/10