Nil by Mouth (1997)

Gary Oldman's only feature as director is the hardest watch here and one of the best. Ray Winstone plays a violent, drinking husband in working-class South London and Kathy Burke his wife, a performance that won her the best actress award at Cannes. There is nothing of Cool Britannia's sheen in it: this is the same decade seen from the other end of the city, with the rawest dialogue of any film on the list. It is not for an easy night on the couch, but it is essential for understanding what the glossier hits left out.