Nil by Mouth: On the red carpet with Ray Winstone at London Film Festival 2022

Ray Winstone has played many a troubled hard man in his time, but it was his role opposite Kathy Burke as a violent alcoholic in 1997’s BAFTA-winning Nil by Mouth, written and directed by actor Gary Oldman for his feature debut, that was perhaps one of the toughest. During promotional interviews at the time, Oldman made a point of saying his venture behind the camera was by no means for the sake of it, but rather the making of this film was something he felt with a compulsion and urgency, partly to buck the trend of Hollywood output from the likes of Quentin Tarantino that had no bearing on real life.

Inspired by his own upbringing on a council estate in South London, his difficult relationship with his father and his struggles with alcoholism, Oldman’s movie captured a part of British life on screen, the social cost of economic hardship and the nature of addiction in bleak, unforgivingly realistic terms that hadn’t been shown before, without any buffer of sentimentality. Now the film has been remastered in 4K and is set to hit cinemas once more to mark its 25^th anniversary.

The Upcoming had the opportunity to speak with film legend Winstone on the red carpet during the London Film Festival 2022. The actor shared his memories of working on the film, its enduring legacy and relevance, as well as reflections on his broader career in TV and cinema.

Sarah Bradbury
Video: Filippo L’Astorina

Nil by Mouth is newly remastered in 4K to mark its 25^th anniversary and back in cinemas from 4^th November 2022.

Read more reviews and interviews from our London Film Festival 2022 coverage here.

For further information about the festival visit the official BFI website here.

Watch the trailer for Nil by Mouth here: