Oldman does well by his actors and the audience is indeed engulfed in the lives of these characters for the duration of the film. His relative restraint actually enhances the power of the events and every moment feels natural and the realism achieved is due to both his writing and the awesome work of the performers, especially Kathy Burke who won a well-deserved best actress Cannes award for her portrayal of an abused wife.
If the film has one shortcoming it's that the drama starts at point "A" and basically stays there for the considerable length of the movie. The audience learns everything there is to know about the characters in the first half hour or so and there's not much else to sustain dramatic momentum for the next two hours. Maybe that's part of the point but it all becomes slightly monotonous and the film could have used at least a bit of editing.
If the film has one shortcoming it's that the drama starts at point "A" and basically stays there for the considerable length of the movie. The audience learns everything there is to know about the characters in the first half hour or so and there's not much else to sustain dramatic momentum for the next two hours. Maybe that's part of the point but it all becomes slightly monotonous and the film could have used at least a bit of editing.