Review of Nil by Mouth (1997) by Scott C — 18 Feb 2013
It was odd because as I was watching Nil By Mouth, I sensed a Robert Altman and a John Cassavetes influence in terms of the stylistic choices Gary Oldman was making. That's strikes me as odd simply because those are two American directors with a very American feel to their movies (whatever that means) and this was a very British film.
Which is not to say that there aren't recognizable and universal issues in this film. Quite the contrary. This is one of the most harrowing and effective films about domestic abuse and the despicable need of some people to have unadulterated control over another person's life.
Robert Altman's style came to mind with the way that Oldman seemed make the film feel like a documentary, honing in on little tidbits of conversation while also keeping the volume of peripheral conversations high, giving us a sense of being there.
The Cassavetes influence showed with the way shots seemed to be taken from other rooms, like we are peaking in at these characters. I don't know if Oldman was influenced by either director, but I do know that with this film, Gary Oldman showed that he not only is one of our great actors, but he also has a knack for directing as well.
Also, Ray Winstone has hardly ever been better.
This review of Nil by Mouth (1997) was written by Scott C on 18 Feb 2013.
Nil by Mouth has generally received very positive reviews.
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