The only Gary Oldman movie is in theaters and you’ve probably never seen it!

In his first (and only) film as a director, Gary Oldman places the camera in a working-class area of ​​south London and paints a particularly sad portrait of a modest family that defies vocabulary.

Filmed in 1997, “Don’t Swallow” marked its time with the rigor of the subject and the socially dramatic dimension of the narrative. The film is famous for being one of the most valuable of all time with 428 pronounced “Foots”.

Don’t Swallow introduces us to Ray (Ray Winstone), Val (Kathy Burke), Janet, the grandmother, and the granddaughter. Odd jobs, tricks and prison. Friends, bars, alcohol and drugs. A man’s world where only women stand. Raymond’s family, his wife Val and his brother Billy, live in a working-class area of ​​London.

Billy takes drugs and Raymond kicks him out of the house, forcing him to live outside, hoping for help from his mother Janet and grandmother Cathy. Raymond, the father of a little girl, is drunk most of the time and sometimes violent, including with his pregnant wife.

For its 25th anniversary, Don’t Swallow has been restored in 4K from a Super 16mm negative and 35mm soundtrack, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. The artwork is offered in a new 1.66:1 format. The calibration was done on a recent print and approved by Gary Oldman himself.

With this feature film, the actor opens up like never before, painting an uncompromising portrait of his family. Hailing from the south suburbs of London, Gary Oldman is stripping down for his one and only achievement to date.

Film director describes us “A slow descent into family hell, torn apart by Ray’s alcohol, drugs and violence, the Pater family, a replica of which the film is dedicated to and played by Ray Winstone, in an unforgettable scum whose depiction of violence resonates. HERE”explains Eva Markowitz, programming manager at the Cinémathèque française and the Pompidou Center.

“The camera, often shot over the shoulder, nervous and staring, recreates this part of life as in a documentary. Hard monologues, shots of the heroine, striptease, rare moments of tenderness, everything is shot in the same way, without concession, in a dark environment where the sun never shines.”Eva Markowitz analyzes.

In addition, Don’t Swallow is also notable for its dizzying soundtrack, signed by Eric Clapton, the legendary guitarist and British musician. In competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, Don’t Swallow won Best Actress for Cathy Burke, who played Valerie, Ray’s wife.

“The work is considered a classic of English cinema, in accordance with the greatest masters of social realism (Stephen Frears, Mike Lee, Ken Loach)”, claims Eva Eva Markowitz. Let us remind you that the feature film is co-produced by Luc Besson, who directed Gary Oldman in Leon in 1994.