Naked

Title: Naked
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Drama
Starring: David Thewlis, Katrin Cartlidge, Lesley Sharp
Director: Mike Leigh
Release Date: 1993

“What if God just put us here for his own entertainment? That's all we are - just something for him to have a bit of a laugh at?”

Forget ‘Green Street’ and its exaggeration of the modern east end, say goodbye to the glamorisation of mob behaviour displayed in ‘Trainspotting,’ and say hello to the real, gritty detail of life at the bottom rung. Filmed on location with actual British actors let all the Americans know what regional dialects truly sound like (in fact, despite being entirely in English you may well need subtitles; the thick Scottish, cockney and mancunian accents featured in this film wont slow down for you to keep up), director Mike Leigh gives a quite literal ‘crash course’ of the despair on the streets, and his social commentary remains as potent now as ever.

A train-wreck of a film it lies in shambles, meandering through in an unforgiving but hypnotic manner as we share in a few dark days in Johnny’s (Thewlis) life. Abandoning his hometown of Manchester after raping someone in an alley, he returns to his ex-girlfriend (Lesley Sharp) in London. With a sharp wit, the only escape from his morbid existence comes from blaming the shortcomings of society for his stance in life, his rage manifesting as a cacophonous stream of criticism against all those he comes into contact with. It isn’t long before his pessimistic manner presents an opportunity to abuse the unemployed drug addict, Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge), pitting her against his ex for his affections, he embarks without a place to stay when the situation becomes unbearable. With meetings such as the illiterate Scotsman, alcoholic widow, lonely Security guard, and the wealthy mirror image of himself this is no bed of roses. There may be a comical aspect, but the humour isn’t in jest; its there simply to try to cover up the brutally honest reality this film portrays.

The film looks clearly dated, but this only serves to reinforce the impoverished situation many of the characters find themselves on. The motifs aren’t fed to you, in a fly-on-the-wall style they are bared for all to see, accentuated by the classical soundtrack. The quick sarcastic wit of Thewlis as he copes with life on the edge, barely surviving, leeching off of others whom he is incapable of treating with anything but disdain, despite knowing they are his lifeline to the world; its his gritty portrayal neither feeling forced nor embellished that lends this film much of its impact. Closely backed up by the dependant and severely depressed Cartlidge, this film owes much of its success to these, not to put down the rest of the support performing beyond what many others could.

Perhaps made even more impressive by the degree of improvised dialogue in many of the scenes (the script apparently only 25 sides in length), Leigh has given us a two-hour glimpse as to the real London. No exaggeration of details, no embellishment of the facts; this is the world you push to the back of your mind. Presented on a dirty plate is the grit and despair surrounding the streets of London, the harsh reality many live in on a daily basis, and as you sit on your comparative throne he delivers a film too dark and cold to be ignored.