Nil by Mouth

(Columbia TriStar)

Set in a present-day London of cheap bars, seedy laundromats, government housing, and booze-blasted brain cells, Gary Oldman's study of male pathology possesses an intensity that's hard to shake off. There are beautiful performances from Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke (Best Actress winner at Cannes) as a battling couple, Laila Morse in an amazing debut as their mother-in-law, and Charlie Creed-Miles as Winstone's brother Billy.