Naked (1993)

Director: Mike Leigh
Cast: David Thewlis, Katrin Cartlidge, Greg Cruttwell, Claire Skinner, Lesley Sharp, Gina McKee
Duration: 132'

Unemployed, Johnny is a burdensome man who wanders around London blabbering to anyone who is willing to listen to him while at the same time getting into sexual adventures which usually end in violence. Mike Leigh’s astonishing night-time odyssey played a pivotal role in his career as it earned him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. With unrelenting determination the British director analyses the dead-ends of a society drowning in futility, cynicism, hostility and sexism.

The protagonists belong to one of two categories: those who use human contact as a trigger for violent outbursts and those who see their good intentions go to waste by the toxicity of the former. However, they all find themselves staggering and at their wit’s end, painfully devoid of any faith in humanity and utterly lacking in prospects. Andrew Dickson’s score suitably serves in highlighting the protagonists’ downfall. The film boasts an exceptional cast with the previously unknown David Thewlis standing out for his revelatory performance. Nektarios Sakkas

“British 80” Tribute. In collaboration with the British Council