There are certain elements of films written and directed by Mike Leigh that have inspired me so much over the decades to the point of declaring him as my favourite film maker of all time.
There’s the intimate and at times claustrophobic framing of the actors, the simple plots that for some reason remain compelling, the offshoot story lines that suddenly appear that have nothing to do with the film but make for irresistible watching, the relationships within the characters set in predominately working class and poor English locations and finally the acting.
Leigh chooses actors with extensive histories of stage acting and draws out incredible performances, trusting their capability with often improvised dialogue especially in long scenes. He makes the ordinary, extraordinary.
Leigh’s latest and 23rd film is called Hard Truths, and examines the family relationships based around an embittered middle aged woman called Pansy who just can’t seem to find any light in her life and refuses to acknowledge the impact it’s having on those close to her.
Hard Truths reunites Marianne Jean Baptiste who plays Pansy, with Michele Austin who plays her sister Chantal. Both were together in my favourite Leigh film from thirty years ago, Secrets and Lies where Baptiste and Brenda Blethyn were nominated for Oscars in the Palme D’ Or winning feature.
Hard Truths is playing as part of this year’s British Film Festival in Palace Cinemas. I’m no film critic but I always measure the quality of a film by how much you’re still talking about it post leaving the cinema. This discussion went way past dessert and is definitely 9/10.
The festival runs till 8/12/24 and here’s some quick capsule reviews of what we’ve been lucky enough to see so far and a link to the website.
Firebrand – A fascinating historical drama based on Henry V111’s sixth wife Katherine, a forward thinker who has to navigate her way around an increasingly paranoid Henry. Jude Law is brilliant and almost unrecognisable as the grotesque Henry and Alicia Vikander plays the intelligent Katherine with total class under extreme pressure from a volatile husband. 7.5/10
The Stones and Brian Jones – My earliest love of The Stones was after Brian Jones and subsequently with his replacement Mick Taylor, so we were keen to understand more about the talented original founder who drowned aged 27. If you’re a fan of The Stones this is a must see if only for the never before seen footage. A solid documentary and no holds barred. 7.5/10
Bird – We fell in love with Irish actor Barry Keoghan in The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017 and he’s gone on to become an international star. In this film he takes a back seat to a young teenage girl Bailey, played by Nykiya Adams. Keoghan plays a miscreant Bug, Bailey’s dad and they live in a totally dysfunctional existence in a housing project. Bailey meets Bird, a mysterious but kind man who ultimately helps Bailey overcome the adversity she faces in what is a joyous last half hour of the film. Adams is incredible as are the younger siblings and don’t miss the credits at the end. A truly beautiful film with an excellent soundtrack. 8.5/10
The range of movies to cover all tastes is phenomenal. There are even old films re-released such as Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same from 1973. Here is the link to the entire program.
https://britishfilmfestival.com.au
