‘High Hopes’ - Mike Leigh’s Masterpiece.
Mike Leigh is one of Britain’s greatest modern filmmakers. His movies can vary from being gritty, touching, heart-warming or disturbing; but they are always incredibly realistic. Along with the likes of Alan Bleasdale and Ken Loach, Mike Leigh is very good at giving a true-to-life picture of our country. Over the years I have seen quite a lot of his work, but my favourite is still, ‘High Hopes’.
It centres on a likeable biker couple who live in a small London flat. There is no great ‘life event’ to be documented here; that is why it’s so very good. We follow them through each day and watch as they deal with a number of different situations. There is the strange young man who insists on following them around, their peculiar relations with their peculiar traits and the awkward subject of whether or not to have a child.
‘High Hopes’ is a wonderful study of different individuals and how they interact with one another. It shows us just what people are like and how we ourselves are perceived. As it is set in ‘Thatcher’s Britain’ of the 1980s, it can come across as being rather grim. However, Mike Leigh manages to balance this perfectly with some truly hilarious moments.
When you make what is essentially a character study, you have to be very careful with your casting. But there is no problem here; Mr Leigh has hand chosen the ideal person for each of the parts. The actors are brilliant in their roles and each gives an excellent performance.
The photography is always good in a Mike Leigh movie and this one is no exception. He captures just the right amount of bleakness without making it too depressing to watch.
If you have a love for British films then this is definitely one to track down.
A classic.
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