Naked | Mike Leigh's Vision of the Post-Thatcher Era

“Have you ever seen a dead body?”

“Only me own.”

One thousand and seventy-three days, or—two years, eleven months, and eight days—after the end of Margaret Thatcher's long and sinister reign over Britain, which saw an inhospitable rise in rugged individualism for the country's working class, Mike Leigh’s Naked was released in 1993. Naked is an odyssey film following Johnny (David Thewlis), a recalcitrant, quite vicious man of twenty-seven with strained eyes you might mistake for those of someone in their late forties. In the time and space of that immediate post-Thatcher zeitgeist, which the film occupies, Johnny himself must be seen as an embodiment of the rugged individualism imposed during this era, representing every flaw within that ideology. Even people as intellectually gifted as he may struggle—or find it impossible to thrive—within this culture due to the erosion of community and increased class inequality. A great thinker or artist isn’t quite what Thatcher’s echelon of people were looking for; they’re too dangerous. Therefore, it’s fitting that the film depicts Johnny against a gothic canvas of dark, desolate streets and a mix of well-worn old flats and eerily modern, empty, technologically advancing condominiums. His odyssey begins in Manchester, heading southeast down a long stretch of dark motorway and into London via the Westway—even if the film geographically doesn’t make much sense (hurling himself from West London to Hackney, Soho to Southwark, and back to Hackney is a lot of walking for one man on no rest—but who really cares?). This adds an almost absurdist element to the film, as Johnny, this misanthropic, bohemian-wanderer whose only sources of entertainment seem to be tearing down people’s philosophies and obnoxiously inserting his own, appears to be everywhere, seemingly at once.

If Margaret Thatcher was even human, then she was certainly a woman. Despite rising impressively to power in a patriarchal society, the paradox lies in how her policies disproportionately harmed working-class women. She was no ally to the feminist movement; all progress made by the movement in the prior 20 years was practically squashed under her reign. Her erosion of union protections forced women into already low-wage labour, with the gender wage gap remaining prominent. She famously called feminism “poison.” One thing is clear: if her rugged individualism was to appeal to anyone in the working class, it was men. I wouldn’t call Naked a misogynistic film, but it depicts a misogynistic era and brutally critiques misogyny within that context. Johnny is violently misogynistic, and when he can’t intimidate women with his intellect—well, you can probably guess. Another male antagonist in the film, Sebestian/Jeremy (whose dual identity is key; socially acceptable, privately monstrous) shows men of ‘respectable class’ feeding off the darkest excesses in this society. Johnny may turn to violence against women as a result of the rage stemming from his own impotence, Sebestian/Jeremy does it just because he can. The two (three?) embody the duality of post-Thatcher masculinity, one marked by adversity, the other by unchecked-privilege. Note: there are more women than men in this film, yet these women are at the mercy of male aggression and entitlement, even the kindest man we meet in the film, Brian (Peter Wight) the security guard, is still a pretty perverted peeping-Tom. Without going into spoilers--Johnny’s belittling of his ex-girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp), and bullying of

her roommate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge) stems from feeling threatened by their sense of independence. If I should ever find myself near Margaret Thatcher’s grave, I’ll make sure to remind her spirit that it was not, and is not, feminism that is the poison; rather, toxic masculinity.

Mike Leigh armed himself, David Thewlis, and the rest of his cast and crew with weaponry and set them on a war-path against the values of this post-Thatcher era. One which saw unemployment rates boom, house prices rise, communities crumble, unions fall and inequality leap up. And such is the film's source of power; being an enlightenment into working-class Britain. It’s also hilarious- I mean:

Sophie: “That’s Sandra, she’s a fucking nurse.”

Johnny: (To the poster) “Hello, Sandra.”

Sophie: “That’s her idea of interior design.”

Johnny: “Well, it’s a skeleton, isn’t it?”

You shouldn’t like Johnny, but you should probably share a laugh with him about the Britains skewered society. If you’re not going to laugh, you’re probably going to cry.

Written By Matt Cooke | IG: @dontlookbackmatt