Like other films by British writer-director Mike Leigh—Life is Sweet (1990), Secrets & Lies (1996), Vera Drake (2004)—Naked is a tough, unflinching look at class conflict, sexual insecurity, and identity crisis in working class England. Naked is by no means an easy thing to watch. At the center of it all, is a young man so angry and full of self-hatred that he’s willing to hurt anyone who crosses his path just to be seen.
We meet Johnny (David Thewlis) on the streets of Manchester, pinning a woman against a building as he rapes her. Afterward, threatened with bodily harm, Johnny heads to London in search of his former girlfriend, Louise (Lesley Sharp).Their meeting doesn’t go particularly well. As such, Johnny quickly gets into a self-destructive sexual relationship with Louise’s flatmate, Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge). Sophie is so strung out on drugs, it’s never entirely clear that she understands anything that she says, or is being said to her. Watching Johnny and Sophie together is pitiful. When they have sex, there’s a desperation; as if their doing it just in an effort to feel something, anything. When others visit the flat—particularly the arrogant, hurtful Jeremy (Greg Cruttwell), the landlord, they are like visitors from another part of hell.
Things don’t improve with the arrival of Sandra (Claire Skinner), whose name is on the lease. She has a job, and does her best to live a ‘normal’ life by society’s standards, but Naked makes it clear that she is right on the edge of joining the others on the fringes of society.
It doesn’t take long before the restless Johnny starts to feel trapped by his new lover’s clinginess. Soon, he leaves the comfort of the apartment for the uncertainty of the streets; wandering through the alleys of the city’s underprivileged districts, meeting an assortment of people even more bizarre than himself.
Suffering headaches and mood swings, Johnny makes acquaintances with a Tourettic drifter played by a young Ewen Bremner, and a night watchman named Brian (Peter Wight), who walks listlessly through a steel and glass complex containing ’empty space’. After leaving there, he somehow talks his way into the home of the woman (Deborah MacLaren) who the night watchman spies on late at night, confident that the guard can see him fooling around with his long-distance love. Later, he briefly flirts with a waitress (Gina McKee) who feeds him and allows him to wash up. However, she finds herself rejected when she attempts to elicit comfort from Johnny. Eventually, what Johnny says becomes much less important. Instead, we find ourselves watching the other character’s reactions to him. Those reactions tell us a lot about their personas and how they’ve become who they are.
The way in which Mike Leigh creates his films is fascinating. He gathers together a group of actors, gives them a theme to work with, and then asks them to improvise on the idea. His script evolves from those improve sessions. That method has resulted in some truly thought provoking films. Further, I have a feeling that allowing actors to be so involved in the creative process means that they are likely to bring more to their characters.
Johnny may be David Thewlis’ best role yet. He delivers Johnny’s tirades with a believable urgency. We know that Johnny is too self destructive to have any real chance of escaping his hellish existence. However, he is still intelligent enough to understand he’s facing a life of no prospects. As such, he decides to live what meager life he has to the fullest.
Presented in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, Naked is yet another stunning Blu-ray transfer from Criterion. Definition is excellent. Despite the grittiness of the atmosphere, fine details are surprisingly clear. The Browns and grays that dominate the films color palette are perfectly balanced, and when a brighter color does appear, it comes across as vivid. A fine layer of grain gives the proceedings a filmic look. With no obvious digital anomalies, this is the best Naked has ever looked.
The lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 surround track is solid, allowing for sturdy, clean delivery of dialogue. Sound design is minimal, but what’s here is well-captured.
The special features have been ported over from Criterion’s previous DVD release:
- Audio Commentary with director Mike Leigh, actress Katrin Cartlidge, and actor David Thewlis: Leigh claims surprise at the critical acclaim Naked received, and discusses its reception at Cannes where the film was nominated for the Palme D’Or, while Cartlidge and Thewlis talk about some of the difficulties their roles presented.
- · Interview with Playwright/filmmaker Neil LaBute: (12:45, 1080i) Recorded in 2005, he discusses his admiration for Leigh’s work, and discusses the themes that are present in much of his work.
- The Art Zone: The Conversation (1080i, 36:25) Recorded in March of 2000, this is a conversation between Mike Leigh and British author Will Self as they sit in a pub and talk about Leigh’s body of work, specifically Naked. Self asks some very poignant questions that get the director to open up about his films and his filmmaking style.
- The Short and Curlies (17:00, 1080i) a 1987 short film which matched director Leigh and David Thewlis for the first time. It’s a fun examination of the lives of two similarly aged young girls, one the daughter of a beautician, who offers many different hair styles for the girl, not her daughter.
- Theatrical Trailer
- The enclosed 17-page booklet contains cast and crew lists, a selection of color stills, and two exploratory essays on the movie by film critics Derek Malcolm and Amy Taubin.
