Untitled Mike Leigh Project

The world of Gilbert and Sullivan comes to vivid life in director Mike Leigh’s extraordinary dramatization of the staging of the duo’s legendary 1885 comic opera The Mikado. Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner brilliantly inhabit the roles of the world-famous Victorian librettist and composer, who, along with their troupe of temperamental actors, must battle personal and professional demons while mounting this major production. A lushly produced epic about the harsh realities of creative expression, featuring bravura performances and Oscar-winning costume design and makeup, Topsy-Turvy is an unexpected period delight from one of contemporary cinema’s great artists.

British filmmaker Mike Leigh delivers another emotionally honest portrait of ordinary people trying to make sense of their lives in this comedy drama. Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) are a couple who are drifting past middle age into their sixties; he's a geologist and she's a psychotherapist. Tom and Gerri have a stable and happy marriage and a grown son, Joe (Oliver Maltman), an activist lawyer who hasn't settled down yet, much to his mother's chagrin. One of Gerri's co-workers and close friends is Mary (Lesley Manville), who puts up a facade of desperate good cheer despite the fact she's been very lonely since her husband left her and has been drowning her anxieties in wine…..

A married couple who have managed to remain blissfully happy into their autumn years, are surrounded over the course of the four seasons of one average year by friends, colleagues, and family who all seem to suffer some degree of unhappiness.

Meantime centres on an East End family, Mavis, Frank and their sons Mark and Colin, and their experience of unemployment, poverty and life in early 1980s Britain. When Colin comes under the influence of skinhead Coxy and when Mavis’s better off sister Barbara offers Colin work, family tensions erupt into conflict. Mike Leigh’s film has a superb cast of then unknowns, including Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina, Tim Roth and Phil Daniels. Meantime is a memorable and closely observed account of life in Thatcher’s Britain.

A married couple who have managed to remain blissfully happy into their autumn years, are surrounded over the course of the four seasons of one average year by friends, colleagues, and family who all seem to suffer some degree of unhappiness.

Poppy Cross is happy-go-lucky. At 30, she lives in Camden: cheeky, playful, frank while funny, and talkative to strangers. She's a conscientious and exuberant primary-school teacher, flatmates with Zoe, her long-time friend; she's close to one sister, and not so close to another. In this slice of life story, we watch her take driving lessons from Scott, a dour and tightly-wound instructor, take classes in flamenco dance from a fiery Spaniard, encounter a tramp in the night, and sort out a student's aggressive behavior with a social worker's help. Along the way, we wonder if her open attitude puts her at risk of misunderstanding or worse. What is the root of happiness?

A married couple who have managed to remain blissfully happy into their autumn years, are surrounded over the course of the four seasons of one average year by friends, colleagues, and family who all seem to suffer some degree of unhappiness.

Bleak Moments (1971) is Mike Leigh's first feature film. The film presents a stark portrayal of human isolation, centring on the failure of personal communication and social interaction. In its uncompromising outlook, it is closer to Meantime (1983) and Naked (1993) than to Leigh's more optimistic works.

Bleak Moments (1971) is Mike Leigh's first feature film. The film presents a stark portrayal of human isolation, centring on the failure of personal communication and social interaction. In its uncompromising outlook, it is closer to Meantime (1983) and Naked (1993) than to Leigh's more optimistic works.

Mike Leigh's direction along with the incredible charm of Sally Hawkins' "Poppy" character make up for a winning combination that will put a smile on everyone's face. Even Eddie Marsan's driving instructor from hell (a terrific performance!) is treated with understanding, respect and humanity, even if the character as such probably doesn't deserve it.