Textual Analysis
Nil by Mouth
Release date: October 10, 1997
Written and directed by Gary Oldman
Genre: Social Drama
In order for the audience to get an understanding of the film, the audience must be able to make sense of the narrative. In each narrative there is always a beginning, middle and end. Todorov had come up with the theory of the equilibrium model which consisted of the equilibrium, disruption and new equilibrium. The equilibrium is the when the narrative of the film is balanced and is seen normal, disruption, however is when the equilibrium is disturbed by a change of the narrative. The new equilibrium is when all normality and balance is re-stored in the narrative. The reason why this is used is that it brings some structure to the narrative. Binary oppositions is defined as the opposites I the narrative, for example light/dark, Hero/ villain. Relating this back to the narrative of the film, Nil by Mouth, the characters try to live a good healthy life, which does not involve violence, drugs and bad relationships, however in the film they continue to use of drugs, use violence to express their emotions and have a negative relationship between each being violent and abusive between each other.
Nil by Mouth is a film that is structured in a chronological order, where the audience are shown the narrative in sequence. The narrative is a closed narrative, where the audience are aware of how the storyline ends, whereas if the film was an open narrative the audience will be left with the film ending with a cliff hanger. The narrative is omniscient, meaning that the audiences have complete and unlimited knowledge, awareness and understanding of the narrative.
The genre of Nil by Mouth is social drama, which shows social issues within society, there are typical characteristics of the characters that are in the film which shows the genre of the film. For instance the behaviour of the characters in the film is portrayed as the individuals being violent, aggressive, anti-social, and abusive. All of which can show the typical characteristics of the film genre, which have relevance to social issues in society. The facial expressions of the characters in the film are mostly angry, scared and balanced. The use of costume is used effectively as it shows the social class of the characters being of a working class. Make up is not used that much but is used at a certain moment of the character which shows the social issues of domestic violence which shows characteristics of social drama.
The main character “Ray” is shown to the audience as a violent, aggressive working class male. The way which the character speaks in the film is very abusive, aggressive and violent. The facial expressions and body language of the individual is mostly seen to be angry and frustrated. The costume of the character is casual for example casual trousers, jumpers and jackets, which show the social class of the character, which show the typical characteristics of the narrative genre by having costumes that are worn day to day from individuals and groups from the same social class in society. The use of make-up is used in the narrative when “Ray” is going through a depressing moment where he is drunk and messes up the room, which he cuts his hands and the use of blood is used to make it dramatic to the audience.
Another character in the film which plays an important part in the narrative is “Valerie”, who plays the wife of “Ray”. The behaviour and how the she speaks in the narrative is very fragile, scared and intimidated due to her partner who abuses her, which show the social issues of domestic violence. The facial expressions and body language of the character is very weak in a sense where she seems to have no confidence within herself. The costume of the character is very casual the same as all the other characters which represents their social class. Make-up is used on this character when she was beaten up by her partner, having bruises and cuts around her body and mainly around her face.
The other two characters that play an important role in the narrative is “Billy” and “Janet”, which each other’s characteristics differ from each other, “Billy” is seen as an anti-social young male, who is involved in crime. The behaviour of “Billy” is lost, scared and upset. The male character speaks in a way which suits his role in the narrative as being violent. The use of make-up was used on this character when he was beaten up by “Ray” who shows the social issues of individuals within society of a social class being violent and aggressive. “Janet” on the other hand, her behaviour is very kind and caring. However it may seem that the way she speaks in the narrative is classified as being explicit and abusive.
Nil by Mouth genre is seen as a social drama, there are various typical characteristics of this genre shown in the narrative. The use of crime, domestic violence, use of drugs and violence is seen to be used which show the typical conventions of a working class environment which the narrative is based on and show the social issues of the narrative. For example the use of domestic violence in society is seen to be very discrete and hidden within individuals, therefore Nil by Mouth shows the reality of domestic violence which makes the film be classified as a social drama as a genre.
The use of sound was used in many shots of the film, the use of both Diegetic and non-Diegetic. The use of Diegetic sound was used for example in the scene where the three males were at the strip club, and music was played which was coming from the film world, this shows typical conventions of the genre as it allows the audience to feel the moment of the film at this specific moment of the film. The use of non-Diegetic sounds was used for example at the scene where “Ray” and his friend were seen following a car, which at the same moment background music was being played which did not appear to come from the film world, therefore this shows the social drama genre characteristics by the actions/scene of the film to suit the music.
Cinematography in the film seems to be very basic so that it relates to the social class of the characters which show the genre of social drama. The shot sizes of the film seem used seem to be same and used more than once. Such as close up, medium close up and long shots. The angle of the various shots are eye level and sometimes high angle, an example of the use of a long shot at a high angle (bird’s eye view) is seen to be where “Ray” has gone round his in-laws to get his child back, where the audience see the character from a high angle. The pace and style of the editing of the film is very basic such as straight cuts.
There use of Mise-en-scene consists of props, settings, lighting, movement and positioning of characters. There were many props used which show the typical conventions of the narratives social drama genre, such as cigarettes, drugs, knives, and mugs. The settings of the narrative are located at numerous locations such as pubs, council estates, corridors, outside, hospital and in the house. The lighting of the films tends to be dim/bright at times depending on the location which they are at.
Overall, there are various genre codes and conventions in the film which show the typical use of that genre. The use of Mise-en-scene is used to prove this, by the effective use of behaviour, body language, facial expressions, costume, make and hair and props used in the narrative. Also the use of the characters persona in the narrative, their behaviour and the use of Mise-en-scene of the characters, which show the typical genre of the narrative. Also the use of camera for instance the shot types, angle, movement and the editing styles of the narrative, which show the genre of social drama as being simple.
By Hussain Miah
