Primate
When I was 18, I have watched «Naked» for the first
time and it didn’t impress me much. Back then, I was just not experienced
enough. For the last 9 years, I have gained some life experience, and I have
decided to give the film the second chance. This time, I have understood more,
and we could call «Naked» «A Tale About a Real Asshole».
The world is full of assholes, some of them are quite
dangerous and some of them are not. Johnny is also an asshole, but it is
supplemented by a huge education. Because of the education, this bum-looking
asshole, who is still psychologically a teenager, have a good tongue and
ability for short-term seduce. In the beginning of the film, Johnny almost
rapes a woman and flees to London in a stolen car.
After hitting London, John breaks into his old
girlfriend house, who shares a house in a desolate area of London with two flat
mates. Louisa is not too delighted by her ex, but Sophie develops a crush on
John. An intruder won’t dodge an ability to sleep with a cute girl, but John
doesn’t want to hear anything about serious relationships, so, he walks away to
night London.
Reaching night London, Fake Diogenes meets the
inhabitants of the city’s gutter: a homeless Scot Archie and his girlfriend; an
intelligent night security guard Brian; a lonely poor drinking woman, who is
desperate for a lay and other colorful characters. Nevertheless, Johnny still have
certain brakes.
Those brakes are made not out of goodness, but of
elementary caution. Johnny understands that he could do rough sex, but if he
rapes a woman, he won’t escape justice easily. Also, if Johnny would impose
himself on a girl and she would kick him out after tiring from his intellectually
offending speeches, he would have to go, because police won’t to be too kind to
a smelly bum. That is why, he is cruising for helpless victims with low self-esteem.
Despite that, the night London streets are cruised by
other Johnnies with Porsche and gold credit cards. Jeremy-Sebastian is Johnny,
who is wearing Saville Row-tailored clothes and who is drinking Veuve Cliquot. His
good looks enable him to seduce almost every girl and his money enables him to «be
himself» and feel the complete impunity.
Who is an asshole? It is a man, who have complete disregard
for public morale, politeness, who treats others scornfully and spits on all
other rules. Almost every teenager toys with asshole behavior and it is
excusable at the age of 15. Nevertheless, after reaching the age of 20, you
need to use your brain and learn to live, or pretend to live, by the rules of
society. But because of the different circumstances, the certain people, in the
best case, are becoming eternal teenagers and others, in the worst cases, are
becoming parasites as Johnny and Jeremy.
Such Johnnies and Jeremys are inhabiting every city
and everyone, who watched «Naked», will recall an acquaintance with such man.
Mike Leigh was able to shoot a film, which would be understood in every
country, and David Thewlis was able to pull off the almost impossible – to play
without any fake a real-life pseudointellectual asshole.
