Jim's Real Detroit 1/27/2000

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_{Jim's Real Detroit Column}
_1/27/2000

_{Many directors like their actors to develop their own portrayals (and their lines) through the art of improvisation. John Cassavetes used the technique with great success in numerous films, resulting in exceptionally compelling and realistic plotlines and characters. Improvisation forces the actors to observe and react, allowing both the dialogue and delivery to be far more natural and believable, even if the storyline itself is somewhat unconventional. A true master of this technique is filmmaker Mike Leigh.}

_{Leigh’s preferred method of filmmaking is to take a general theme, and then assemble a cast and ask them to come up with both the episodes and the dialogue that will make up the screenplay. The result is a character-driven narrative that tells its story without dependence on all those special effects that Hollywood seems to think we love. Leigh has used the method with equal success in a variety of films, including his bittersweet comedies High Hopes (1988) and Life Is Sweet (1990), his heartwarming (and award-winning) Secrets and Lies (1995), and my personal favorite, the devastatingly caustic Naked (1993).}

_{Most of Leigh’s films concentrate on the class struggle in England, and Naked is no exception. It is the story of self-destructive Johnny (David Thewlis) as he drifts from one acquaintance to another. In the opening scene, Johnny is raping a woman on the streets of Manchester. Forced to flee, he heads to London hoping to reunite with an old girlfriend, Louise (Lesley Sharp). Instead, he develops a pathetic relationship with Louise’s roommate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge). The relationship consists mainly of rough, violent sex, but nonetheless the desperate-for-affection Sophie becomes completely dependent on Johnny. Having conquered Sophie, and having no desire for a committed relationship, Johnny again hits the road.

On the streets of London Johnny meets several other sociopaths who, like himself, have fallen out of society into an emotionally deprived abyss. Despicable as he is, Johnny’s education and intelligence become obvious as he enthusiastically rants to them about such subjects as chaos theory, the apocalypse, life, and God. His philosophy seems wasted on a near-deaf poster hanger and a lonely woman who fears getting old, but he does connect with a night watchman who doesn’t realize how meaningless his job is and insists on giving Johnny a tour of the building he guards.}

_{Naked’s London is an ugly place filled with anger and misery. It is a world of anarchy where street hoods regularly abuse the everyday populace. But despite being so painful to watch, Naked is a rewarding experience. Few films allow such an up-close and unshielded look at characters so realistic.

For Naked, Leigh named Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. Thewlis won several Best Actor awards (including one at Cannes), but unfortunately was not nominated for an Oscar. The film was also awarded Best Film honors at the Independent Spirit Awards.}

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