Nil by Mouth

Sometimes it's not a good idea when an established actor tries to direct. But then there are those actors who make a movie that's terrific, but never try again. The most notable is Charles Laughton, who made The Night of the Hunter, but right behind him is Gary Oldman, who not only directed 1997's Nil by Mouth, but also wrote it. He hasn't directed any other films since.

A searing, uncompromising look at the margins of society in London, Wikipedia says the film uses the word "fuck" 428 times, but I swear that the word "cunt" is used even more. It seems that in certain parts of London, that word is kind of an all-purpose epithet, usable for both men and women.

The story revolves around one extended family. Ray Winstone is Ray, who is married to Val (Kathy Burke). She has a younger brother, Billy (Charlie Creed-Miles), who is a junkie and drug dealer. I was never quite sure what Winstone's profession was, but he was also into illegal matters. Val's mother (Laila Morse, Oldman's sister) is perfectly aware of her son's addiction, and is a classic enabler, giving him money to feed his habit. She's also aware that Winstone is a violent drunk, and keeps clear of him.

The first half of the film evolves slowly, and is more of a character study. We see Creed-Miles and his partner (Steve Sweeney), covered in tattoos, dealing and hanging out in a laundromat. Winstone and his raconteur best friend, a very good Jamie Foreman, get drunk and tell stories. But when Burke spends too much time at a friend's house, innocently playing pool with a male friend, Winstone loses his cool, beats her savagely, and induces her to miscarry. She moves out, and he spends the rest of the film alternately in a rage and trying to make amends.

This is not an easy film to watch, as none of these people is particularly admirable. I suppose Burke, who gives a wonderful, gritty performance, is the only one who has any sense, but it takes her getting her face smashed in to realize it. Morse is also very good, a woman who loves her daughter and son but can't do anything to help them, other than to shelter them. But Winstone is the main attraction here. He has a couple of bravura scenes--one, a drunken monologue in which he tries to call Burke and ends up destroying their flat, and another scene with Foreman, when he talks about how his father, another hopeless drunk, showed him no love or affection. This is where the title comes in. When Winstone's father was in the hospital, hooked up to tubes, a sign reading "Nil By Mouth," or, no food to be taken through the mouth, was above his bed. Winstone reasons that it would have made a good epitaph for his old man.

Oldman, of course an always interesting actor to watch, should make more films. If there anything like Nil by Mouth, they'd be worth seeing.