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Nil by Mouth

Play trailer Poster for Nil by Mouth R 1997 2h 8m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 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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Nil by Mouth

Nil by Mouth

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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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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 11/04/2022
5/5
A dense portrait of the tiny discomfiting gestures, irritable glances and physical tics that build to a sudden eruption of bone-crushing rage. Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian 11/03/2022
5/5
It is an urban pastoral and social-realist tragedy. Go to Full Review Mike Clark USA Today 01/09/2018
3/4
Nil By Mouth offers a harrowing look at a working-class family beset by drugs, alcohol and abuse. Go to Full Review Tom Cassidy Common Sense Media 03/19/2025
The threat of violence permeates every moment of Gary Oldman's directorial debut. Go to Full Review Quentin Falk Sunday Mirror (UK) 12/18/2024
3/5
The film is unsparing in its detail of domestic turmoil and savagery. Go to Full Review Tom Hutchinson Radio Times 08/22/2024
5/5
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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T M @RT55749265 Jun 16 Winstone shows he can act in this gritty downbeat drama. Relentlessly sweary and nasty, this is a taste of the underclass, battered and bruised by life's slings and arrows. Male violence, female pain, bonds born out of adversity. This film reeks of the urban gutter. See more Patrick C @RT84374237 Jun 2 Not exactly a feel good movie, 'Nil by Mouth' is, however, close to a masterpiece. The performances are so uniformly excellent and convincing that it feels like watching a documentary. Ray Winstone is quite brilliant, but it is Kathy Burke who truly excels in her role as an emotionally and physically abused wife and mother. Acting doesn't get any better than what she delivered here. My only query is why Eric Clapton was invited to do the soundtrack. Meandering bluesy geetar is not exactly what is required for a grim urban drama. Felt exactly the same about his score for 'Edge of Darkness', which for some mystifying reason everyone loved. Anyway, a minor gripe about an otherwise stunning film. See more vegar d @RT85701280 12/22/2023 Gary Oldman's take on 90´s cockney reality. Simply excellent! See more Jack O @RT29143273 06/19/2023 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. See more Colin M @RT35044827 04/13/2023 Down-to-earth London eastenders interact. See more Leaburn @RT35452347 01/29/2023 This film was good 👍🏼 See more Read all reviews
Nil by Mouth

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Cast & Crew

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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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Nil by Mouth

Nil by Mouth (1997) View more photos

Movie Info

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