Naked (film)

Naked (1993) is a British film directed by Mike Leigh.

Related Topics:
British film - Mike Leigh

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Prior to this film, Leigh was known for more low-key, subtle comedic dissections of middle-class and working-class manners. Naked was more stark and brutal than his pervious works.

Related Topics:
Middle-class - Working-class

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The film tells the story of Johnny, a fiercely intelligent but disturbingly embittered working-class Mancunian who flees from his northern home to London to seek refuge with his former girlfriend Louise. Behaving in a reckless, sadistic manner, he seduces her flatmate before embarking on an extended latter-day oddyssey amongst the destitute of the UK's capital city. During his encounters in London's seedy underbelly Johnny expounds his fatalistic world-view at long and lyrical length to anyone who will listen; whilst the sinister presence of his girlfriend's landlord lurks in the background. The film is minimal on plot, dependent on the audience's fascination on the interaction between the characters.

Related Topics:
Mancunian - London - UK

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The film has been praised as an outstanding work of modern day realism, with highly convincing performances all round. The central character is in many ways deeply unpleasant, misogynistic, violent and incredibly rude. He is also very witty, and his appraisals of the dire situations he sees extremely honest. The film's great achievment is to create strong sympathy for such an anti-hero.

Related Topics:
Realism - Misogynistic - Anti-hero

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The film has been accused of glamorising anti-woman antitudes in creating such a compelling misogynist character, but scenes towards the end of the film in particular render that claim somewhat hollow. Amongst the huge array of disfunctional characters on offer in the film, only Louise, Johnny's former girlfriend, emerges at the end with any dignity. While Johnny is the most entertaining character of the film, Louise is its moral centre.

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