
In my opinion, this is another stellar film from writer/director Mike Leigh. I place it just below his masterpiece Secrets and Lies, but not too far below it. As usual, Leigh has put together a wonderful ensemble cast, which is good, because Timothy Spall would have outshone anything less, and he works best when the rest of the cast is great. The movie seems bleak a lot of the time. The secret is to allow yourself to care about the characters and be patient. It reminds me …





















