MovieChat Forums > Nil by Mouth (1998) Discussion > meanings of the movie?

meanings of the movie?

posted 20 years ago by jmabbs86
3 replies | jump to latest

i'm studying this movie as part of a module for my Media A-Level. can anyone tell me some meanings/reasons for some parts of the movie? the main one i couldn't really understand was the point of Danny quoting the scene from Apocalypse Now. i thought it could have maybe shown some comparisons between Colonel Kurtz and Ray. also i was wondering if there are any American movies with a similar narrative to this, any socio-realist movies that deal with dometsic violence issues.
thanx

[–] joewilliams0 20 years ago

only thing i know about is that the character of 'Ray' is supposed to be a representation of Gary Oldman's father, supposedly he didn't get along with his father, and Ray is a reflection of his father perhaps.

[–] djcosyo 19 years ago

"only thing i know about is that the character of 'Ray' is supposed to be a representation of Gary Oldman's father". I remember reading that Gary Oldman said that this film was a tribute to his father although the character of Ray Winstone was not actually based on his father. Is there anyone who can clear this one up?

[–] richard-731 19 years ago

I honestly don't thing this scene has any significance other than Danny having an unhealthy obsession with Dennis Hopper's character. Maybe it was his escape from the real world? What I saw was a very personal film by Gary Oldman about his relationship with his father, so any hidden meanings or art house pretenses, of which Oldman thrives on, takes a back seat.

The film was produced by Luc Besson in exchange for Oldman appearing in the Fifth Element. (if that's any use).

Good luck with the project.