High Hopes (1989)

Synopsis: Director Mike Leigh continues his infatuation with the clashes between families and social classes in late twentieth century London with this touching soap opera. HIGH HOPES weaves left-wing social commentary into a bittersweet comedy about a working-class couple, Cyril (Philip Davis)... Director Mike Leigh continues his infatuation with the clashes between families and social classes in late twentieth century London with this touching soap opera. HIGH HOPES weaves left-wing social commentary into a bittersweet comedy about a working-class couple, Cyril (Philip Davis) and Shirley (Ruth Sheen). The film opens with the pair taking in Wayne (Jason Watkins), a stranger who appears to have nowhere else to turn. Gradually, it introduces the rest of Cyril's family--his widowed mother Mrs. Bender (Edna Dore), whining suburban sister Valerie (Heather Tobias), and her unfaithful husband Martin (Philip Jackson)--contrasting them with the Boothe-Braines (Lesley Manville and David Bamber), pretentious yuppies who live next door to Mrs. Bender thanks to gentrification. On Mrs. Bender's birthday, a party at Valerie's brings the family together again, sparking another seemingly endless series of arguments. A sometimes bleak satire, HIGH HOPES raises issues about remaining childless and growing old without a partner, containing a poignant blend of comedy and drama that has become a Leigh trademark. Using his typical improvisational approach in order to create more genuine characterizations, Leigh is able to draw deeply convincing performances from all of his actors--most notably, Davis, Sheen, and Dore. [More]