Film: Naked
Director: Mike Leigh
Country: UK
Released: November 1993
Runtime: 131 minutes
Genre: Drama
Studio: Thin Man Films
Influenced: Lynne Ramsay, Lars Von Trier, Andrea Arnold, Ken Loach, Kelly Reichardt
Like all Mike Leigh films, Naked began with the actors developing their characters through months of workshops and improvisations, without a pre-written script. This method allowed the actors to deeply immerse themselves in their characters and contribute to the development of the story and dialogue. Such is the power of David Thewlis’ performance as the drifter Johnny Fletcher, and so eloquent are some of his musings, that it’s hard to believe the film was not originally scripted. Johnny is a monster of misanthropy, misogyny and nihilism, but his character is magnetic in the same way as, for example, Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange. There’s a vulnerability to Johnny's character too and his intellectual ranting carries weight at times. All that said, it’s a tough film to watch, with its scenes of sexual abuse and the general lack of redemption for the characters, especially the men. The young landlord character Jeremy is even more of a sexist and narcissist than Johnny, and in this way the film is a study of toxic masculinity avant la lettre.
Johnny arrives in London after fleeing from his hometown and ends up crashing at the apartment of an ex-girlfriend, Louise (Lesley Sharp). Over the course of a few days and nights, Johnny encounters various individuals, including Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge), with whom he forms a complex relationship, a homeless Scotsman called Archie (Ewen Bremner) and a security guard (Peter Wight). The film's setting is largely nocturnal, opening with a handheld camera shot in a dark alley, a rape scene in which we see the main character presented in the worst possible light. Our challenge as an audience is to try and find sympathy for, or at least understanding of, this enigmatic monster. There are also brilliant naturalistic night scenes shot in Soho and other parts of London, including the infamous improvised scene between Thewlis and Bremner, in which Archie is screaming out for Maggie (a not so subtle joke about life on the margins of post-Thatcher Britain).
Thewlis read many books by the likes of Stephen Hawking and Nostradamus to inform the existentialist ravings of his character. We get the full exposition of his philosophy in the incredible conversation scene with the nighttime security guard, Brian, in which they discuss what the future holds for humanity and the nature of time itself. In the scene with the café girl (Gina McKee), Johnny shows a different side to his character, as he tries to be a nice guy to win her over, but she harbours a profound sadness that is masked by alcohol. When he gets beaten to a pulp by a gang of youths, we also see the real Johnny that hides behind the intellectual mask, all scared and childlike. There's a beautiful moment near the end of the film in which Johnny and Louise sing a song together that reveals their nostalgia for their hometown of Manchester. Thewlis' performance earned him widespread critical acclaim and remains some of the finest acting ever seen on screen. Despite the general tone of bleakness, his performance is filled with vitality, passion and down-to-earth humour.
Naked received numerous awards and nominations, including the Best Director award at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival for Mike Leigh. Thewlis also received the Best Actor award at Cannes, while the film was also nominated for several BAFTAs, including Best Film and Best Director. Interestingly, the film had more success with international audiences than it did in the UK at the time of its release, but it is now widely considered one of the seminal works of 1990s independent British cinema. Leigh was ahead of his time in presenting a picture of men abusing their positions of power, with Jeremy in particular using his class privilege to manipulate women and subjugate them. In terms of prescience, I also share some of Johnny’s views about the digital age and how people stare at screens seeking tawdry thrills, but lack the art of conversation and any engagement with the bigger issues of life. The film is in part about wasted opportunities, as well as being an uncompromising exploration of the human condition, misogyny and urban alienation.
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