Naked by Mike Leigh at BFI

This autumn, the BFI hosts a celebration of the career of writer/ director Mike Leigh, with the UK-wide re-release of Naked (1993) as one of the highlights. The controversial movie has been remastered in 4K by the BFI National Archive and was recently premiered by the director and lead actor David Thewlis.

As uneasy as it may be to watch in places, and as unlikeable and irritating his character may be at times, Naked is without a doubt, a landmark performance from Thewlis, who presents male angst and a frantic mind brilliantly. Told over two hours, we see how he escapes his home town of Manchester at the outset, and finds his ex-girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp) in London where he sets about to play havoc with the life of her housemate (Katrin Cartlidge) and a whole host of others that he happens to make acquaintance with throughout the day.

Winner of both the Best Director and Best Actor award at Cannes in 1993, it is Leigh’s honest account of those on the outskirts of society that really make Naked stand out. The film flips between  edge of your seat thriller moments, pre hilarity and turning your face from the screen in squeamishness in equal measure.

Opens at BFI Southbank, HOME Manchester, IFI Dublin, Glasgow Film Theatre & more UK-wide from 12 November 2021. Naked will also be released in Blu-ray on 22 November 2021.

Explore further at BFI.