British cinema seems to have a particular knack for creating uncompromising films such as Trainspotting which forced the viewer into a confrontation with the traumatic world of heroin addiction and the misery that comes with it. That film was very shocking but it comes from a large proud heritage of dark British cinema - cinema that engages the brain and is quite shocking to watch. A lot of the dark material that comes out of British cinema is based on realism. British film makers are very candid about their subject matter and there is a tendency towards exploring adult themes in a natural way. Plus, there is a desire on the behalf of many British film makers to give their films credibility by pursuing sexual and violent events in a realistic manner. Life and all of its foibles are scrupulously and honestly documented. The films below represent the best uncompromising cinema ever produced in Britain. Please add your own films below.
15. Naked (1993)
Johnny steals a car in Manchester and drives to London in order to escape a beating that is headed his way for raping a girl. He seduces a girl called Sophie and tracks down an old girlfriend on whom he unleashes his venomous verbal poison. Fed up with the two women, Johnny goes on an odyssey through London's sleazier regions where he meets various characters and spews forth bile filled rants as well as his skewed ideology and philosophy. Director Mike Leigh is known for dissecting relationships in his films, as well as his sharp social commentary. Naked is a darker film than Leigh's usual output, but it is just as incise in its observations of the underbelly of London as it is in his milder work. David Thewlis, as Johnny, really brings the character to life - repellent but at the same time hysterically funny. Johnny is the typical Angry Young Man. He has a huge chip on his shoulder and wants the world to know about it. His rants are very nihilistic and it is Johnny's philosophy and misanthropy that make it such an uncompromising film to watch. The only other film I can think of with such a warped view of the world is The Butcher in Gaspar Noé's Seul Contre Tous.