Naked (1993)
Director: Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh is one of Great Britain’s most acclaimed contemporary directors, he is known for crafting monumental and realistic dramas that take place in the daily lives of ordinary British people. Leigh is a great defender of the tragic-comic sense of life, his films represent the passage of time, the importance of family, and the diversity of ideologies.
He moved to London in 1960, where he discovered international cinema. Leigh got into the films of Fellini, Bergman, Buñuel, Kurosawa, and Renoir, among others. The roots of Leigh’s work are to be found in British comedy, theater and circus. He participated as an actor in the Royal Shakespeare Academy, and he later became an associate director of the Birmingham Art Center (Midlands Art Center). In 1993, Leigh was already established as an important director. He premiered the movie Naked, which for many is his masterpiece. This misanthropic gem has become one of the most quoted British cult films of all time.
As the movie opens, we meet our protagonist, Johnny (David Thewlis). He sets off to London after viciously raping a woman in a Manchester back alley. On his way down the road, we can see that Johnny is a very intelligent, educated, funny and eloquent man, but he has a flaming bitterness and vital pessimism that always keeps him to the limit of chaos and sadism. Something has gone terribly wrong in his life, leaving him without friends, employment, or home.
When Johnny arrives to London, he invades the apartment of his ex-girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp). Once there, he meets Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge), the roommate of Louise. After an intense and brutal buggering with Sophie, Johnny sets out on a tumultuous tour through London’s underbelly. He scrutinizes in the filthiest and forgotten corners of the city. Armed with a furious tongue, nihilistic philosophy, acid sarcasm, despicable egocentricity and brutal misanthropy; he eapproaches the people he meets with a menacing curiosity and a rigid condescension. He helps a brutal man named Archie (Ewen Bremmer), to reunite with his girlfriend Maggie (Susan Vidler). He also engages in a powerful and intellectual conversation with a hopeless night watchman named Brian (Peter Wright), in which Johnny shows him that the future is doomed, and that the meaning of life is a total farce. Along his midnight journey, Johnny crafts a Shakespearian self-fulfilling prophecy, made with anger, guilt, sorrow and human desolation.
On the other side of the coin, we have the rich, despicable and abusive Jeremy (Gregg Crutwell). He assaults several women before descending into Louise’s apartment, as he happens to be her landlord. Whereas Johnny’s actions are born out of anger and frustration, Jeremy’s are born out of privilege and cruelty.
Often compared to the American poet Charles Bukowski; Johnny’s character finds truth, humility and wisdom inside his provocative and intelligent madness. Only those who have explored madness are able to craft their self-established philosophies against the world. Those are the only ones who can see their own God. In Bukowski’s words: “Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.”
Naked projects an extremely alienated landscape, a nightmarish world in which everyone is isolated, every character is stripped naked of love, relationships, jobs and values. Their words and thoughts are the only defenses against the world.
by Octavio Carbajal González
This might actually be a movie that the arabesk fans like? Thematically depressing and awesome week!
I love the Bukowski quote and review, Have never seen a film by Mike Leigh, tanks for the recommendation 👍
I’m in the minority here, but this one was hard to watch for me. A loser on an ego-trip meeting many other disturbed losers. But I watched “Amores Perros” after your recommendation and liked it very much!
I respect your opinion, it´s perfectly fine. I think it depends on your personal definition of “loser”.
The meaning of “loser” is subjective. That´s why I compare Johnny and Bukowski (for me, Bukowski isn´t a loser). So glad to see that you enjoyed “Amores Perros” after reading my review. Thank you so much !!
“Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.” And this one statement is a great summary of the only road to discovering what is most important to us. Without that clarity we never discover about what we truly want. We all must decide. Great review and the movie is a journey into that madness and the certainty is can bring us.
This movie has a simple plot on the outside, but it gradually gets really dark and complex on the inside. As Johnny points out, in the end: all the books, and all the learning, still don’t help you understand the point of life’s complexity. You can get really close, and maybe you can understand yourself and decipher what you want from life.
Your own experiences, ideologies, passions and theories are the only gateway from this huge maze. Thank you for the comment, my friend.
One of the hardest to like but most fascinating characters to ever hit the screen.
I have seen ‘Naked’ in a small arthouse cinema when it came out. I was repelled after 2 hours of cynicism, but also somehow attracted. Johnny is the ultimate misanthrope. London in late autumn; a depressing, gray soup. I’ve seldomly seen such a hard and real film. thumps up
I’m very glad that you remembered that personal moment and experience.
This film is a monument to realism. You can taste, feel and touch this movie. And you never feel like it was forced. David Thewlis throws every bit of his soul into this movie. As you said, he is the ultimate misanthrope.
A mean masterpiece.
Thrilled to have this on the page, that film came out when I was 13 and was one of the first more demanding films that I saw and loved- a strangely beautiful and comforting film. At that time I was also heavily into Bukowski, who is strangely popular here in Germany, maybe more so than in America. British cinema was great in the 90s, thank you for covering this gem.
This cult film is a top-notch and essential addition for VW, thank you so much Saliha. I’m quite a fan of disturbing movies, few had left a deep wound inside me. Although, I must say: this one is a unique experience, it´s hard to watch. The atmosphere is suffocating, I felt a huge and dense black cloud chasing me down. The pain, hopelessness and emotional instability of the main characters is disturbingly realistic. Despite the disturbing factor, this movie is brilliant, it tackles philosophical topics on a very effective way. Mike Leigh created a perfect balance between thought-provoking and emotionally devastating cinema, and that’s a remarkable achievement.