Nil by Mouth

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Nil by Mouth

R

1997

2h 8m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In a working-class London neighborhood, a highly dysfunctional family struggles to survive. The widowed Janet (Laila Morse), a former factory worker, has welcomed relatives into her home. In addition to her elderly mother, Kath (Edna Doré), and her son, Billy (Charlie Creed-Miles), Janet lives with her daughter, Valerie (Kathy Burke), and Valerie's abusive, alcoholic husband, Ray (Ray Winstone). Together they attempt to work out their differences, but drugs, booze and violence get in the way.

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Critics Consensus

Foul-mouthed and unrelentingly bleak, Nil By Mouth is a prickly viewing experience that nevertheless impresses with its authentic blue collar angst and ferocious performances.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

A dense portrait of the tiny discomfiting gestures, irritable glances and physical tics that build to a sudden eruption of bone-crushing rage.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 4, 2022

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It is an urban pastoral and social-realist tragedy.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 3, 2022

Full Review

Mike Clark

USA Today

Nil By Mouth offers a harrowing look at a working-class family beset by drugs, alcohol and abuse.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 9, 2018

Full Review

Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

The threat of violence permeates every moment of Gary Oldman's directorial debut.

Mar 19, 2025

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Quentin Falk

Sunday Mirror (UK)

The film is unsparing in its detail of domestic turmoil and savagery.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 18, 2024

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Tom Hutchinson

Radio Times

Though uncompromising in its portrayal of violence, Nil by Mouth tempers its bleakness with moments of tender understanding and wounding insight; in short, it's a must-see.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 22, 2024

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vegar d

Gary Oldman's take on 90´s cockney reality. Simply excellent!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/22/23

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Jack O

Well, the whole drama is in this. The happier time to enjoy drinking alcohol for people to get drunk filled with booze. For me, I drink coke, Diet Coke that is. Why? Because you're about to witness the British Drama filled with good performance from all the British actors/actresses in this dark and berserk film that actor Gary Oldman has directed. Nil By Mouth. And get this: it is absolutely berserk cause it has too many sexual swear words in it. Plus the fact that it's not the only film that ever had too much swearing. Well, I don't want to offend you guys for saying this, so please, brace yourselves. It had 428 F words in it and 92 (the you know what) words. Shocking, isn't it? The Wolf of Wall Street did that. What about it? The domestic violence is brutal for the most part so I guess that's all I can tell you all about it. Thank you for stick up with me on this review. This review is nothing to offend. This movie had a winner of 2 BAFTA Awards.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/22/23

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Colin M

Down-to-earth London eastenders interact.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/13/23

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Leaburn

This film was good 👍🏼

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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Shioka O

Sucking south London working-class family portrayal. Serious and realistic acting. Cassavetes-like Indie style direction which is great done by actor Gary Oldman. Believable that this is something he was watching as a kid.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/22

Full Review

William L

Nil by Mouth shoots itself in the foot by creating a cast of characters that are too egregiously disadvantaged for any one of them to feel compelling - Billy's a heroin addict, Valerie drinks and smokes while pregnant, and Raymond is an alcoholic and is relentlessly abusive. It all comes across as trying far too hard to create a depressing, bleak environment for the sake of dramatic weight (the commentaries on substance abuse fizzle out with Billy's later disappearance from the narrative and lack of a substantial conclusion to his subplot). That's a shame, because the narrative itself is actually well put together underneath all of that window dressing, including an ultimate reconciliation and some character development that may take too long to arrive, but still has substance. The performances from Winstone and Burke are really what save the film from feeling amateurish, and Burke was rightfully rewarded for her efforts with Best Actress at Cannes. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/20/20

Full Review

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Gary Oldman

Director

Ray Winstone

Ray

Kathy Burke

Valerie

Charlie Creed-Miles

Billy

Laila Morse

Janet

Edna Doré

Kath

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Synopsis

In a working-class London neighborhood, a highly dysfunctional family struggles to survive. The widowed Janet (Laila Morse), a former factory worker, has welcomed relatives into her home. In addition to her elderly mother, Kath (Edna Doré), and her son, Billy (Charlie Creed-Miles), Janet lives with her daughter, Valerie (Kathy Burke), and Valerie's abusive, alcoholic husband, Ray (Ray Winstone). Together they attempt to work out their differences, but drugs, booze and violence get in the way.

Director: Gary Oldman
Producer: Luc Besson, Douglas Urbanski, Gary Oldman
Screenwriter: Gary Oldman
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Box Office (Gross USA): $268.9K
Runtime: 2h 8m
Sound Mix: Surround

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