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The great prickly humanist of British cinema, Mike Leigh has forged a body of work unique in its concern for the struggles of ordinary people and the social fabric of working-class London. Famously born from a process of extensive improvisation with his powerhouse actors, Leigh’s films inhabit a register of tragicomic despair that, thanks to their unwavering compassion, never slips into miserabilism.
Looking for a place to start?
Take your pick from among Leigh’s family portraits: Meantime, an unflinching look at life on the dole; Life Is Sweet, a melancholy comedy of the everyday; the Palme d’Or–winning career highlight Secrets & Lies; or Another Year, a Chekhovian cycle through life’s seasons. |
