Nil By Mouth
An uncompromisingly frank portrait of a particular sector of working-class family life in south-east London (where Oldman grew up), it's a powerful, astute, authentically foul-mouthed account of unfettered machismo, booze and drugs, petty crime and domestic abuse.
The performances are excellent throughout, especially those of Winstone as the volatile but self-pitying Ray, Burke as his long-suffering wife Val and Creed-Miles as her junkie brother Billy.
Shot and scripted in a deceptively casual realist style reminiscent of 70s Cassavetes, this profoundly personal and humane film eschews sensationalism and sentimentality to illuminate a vicious circle of abuse and criminality.
