All or Nothing

Three working-class families on a London estate. Phil drives a cab and barely gets through the day; his partner Penny works at a supermarket and the distance between them has gone unspoken for years. In the neighbouring flats there is unemployment, drink and an unexpected pregnancy. Rory, the son of one family, has a heart attack after a fight, and the hospital corridor gathers everyone in one place. Mike Leigh directed, building the film as he always does, through long rehearsal and improvisation. Timothy Spall plays Phil and Lesley Manville plays Penny. It screened at Cannes in May 2002 and competed for the Palme d'Or. Leigh was nominated for Best Director at the European Film Awards, and the film won Best British Film from the London Film Critics Circle. On a 9 million dollar budget it took 2.8 million. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 82 percent, the consensus saying its picture of working-class life can be depressingly bleak while the performances are wonderfully true to life. Who it is for: viewers who like Leigh's observation of people and unornamented British realism. Who it is not for: anyone coming off a bad week. The film transmits exhaustion and silence for two hours without dilution.