Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Gary Oldman
Cast
Ray Winstone,
Kathy Burke,
Charlie Creed-Miles,
Laila Morse,
Edna Doré,
Chrissie Cotterill
Genre
Drama
The family of Raymond, his wife Val and her brother Billy live in working-class London district. Also in their family is Val and Billy's mother Janet and grandmother Kath. Billy is a drug addict and Raymond kicks him out of the house, making him live on his own. Raymond is generally a rough and even violent person, and that leads to problems in the life of the family.
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
Nil by Mouth is as powerful as it is uncomfortable, and those in search of a pleasant movie-going experience would be best served looking elsewhere. However, for anyone who isn't bothered by the thought of experiencing a shock to the system, this film is not to be missed. It approaches a serious social issue in the best, most dramatically true manner.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
Nil by Mouth is not an unrelieved shriek of pain. There is humor in it, and tender insight.
The A.V. Club
Shot through a bleary haze of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and hard drugs, Nil By Mouth is the cinematic equivalent of Oldman's old acting style, a return to form by absentia.
NME by Nick Levine
Gary Oldman made his directorial debut with this startling portrait of life in a deprived part of south-east London.
The New York Times by Janet Maslin
Even for American audiences used to the argot of Mike Leigh films, the accents are thick here and the characters impenetrable at first. But it isn't long before the film begins exerting a powerful hold, once the hard edges of its story begin to emerge.
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
Nil By Mouth is a shockingly intimate portrait of entrapment that may leave you wincing. It’s Oldman’s Raging Bull.
San Francisco Examiner by Walter Addiego
Nil by Mouth is slow to get going, and meanders before its impact scenes in the second half. Still, its final intensity can leave you exhausted. If you stay with the picture, it's a powerful experience you're unlikely to forget.
San Francisco Chronicle by Edward Guthmann
A semi-autobiographical tale of addiction, anger and domestic violence, Nil by Mouth is as blunt and unsparing as a fist to the gut.
USA Today by Mike Clark
Nil is harrowing and soul-sapping, a look into the heart of darkness of London's underclass.
Austin Chronicle by Russell Smith
The only reservation I have in recommending this film is the ultimate question of what value there is in this kind of naked, unmediated portrayal of such wretched situations. What Oldman has done is to open a window onto scenes we know are taking place everywhere, all the time. Why -- and if -- we choose to look is a personal call for every viewer.
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