Nil By Mouth

Gary Oldman's directorial debut offers a gritty, profane look inside the mean streets of South London, where drug addiction, poverty and abuse hold sway. This is a semi-autobiographical picture of paternal anger and alcohol abuse from father Ray (a menacing and remarkable Ray Winstone), causing bouts of often unbearable tension and shocking domestic violence against his family. The son (Creed-Miles) is battling heroin while his weary resigned wife Valerie (Burke, in an incredible performance) tries to keep out of his way. A superb and cautionary tale of the downward spiral of self-destruction and tested loyalties, shot through with true humour. With a score by Eric Clapton and winner of the Best Actress award for Kathy Burke at the Cannes Film Festival.