2. Nil By Mouth
An unrelentingly bleak but rewarding look at the moral and social degeneration of white working-class Britain post-Thatcherism, written and directed by Gary Oldman with a musical score by Eric Clapton. The film is also a dark, autobiographical study of alcoholism and substance abuse, which is why Oldman dedicates the film to his father. Ray Winstone will never be better, Kathy Burke is equally as good and this genuinely grim social document is a level above the established "working class" films of the likes Ken Loach and Mike Leigh. Unlike their work, this has balls and lots of heart. It is a difficult film to watch, but not just because of its often-disturbing scenes of domestic violence. Oldman's commitment to realism means that all the dialogue is extremely south London specific (almost incomprehensible to non-London viewers), and un-coordinated in that characters often speak over each other, making some of the dialogue inaudible. It takes a while to get used to, but it becomes an ingenious way of tricking the audience into believing that what they see is the result of a hidden camera in someone's living room/pub/car/garage. Nil by Mouth is definitely worth seeing more than once. It has hidden depths and sensitivity that become more apparent with repeated viewings. It is a genuine masterpiece of "cinema verite" - the only question is why hasn't Gary Oldman directed another film?