Meantime (Leigh, 1983) (Special Edition)

Film Description

In one of the most uncompromising British films of the post-war period, Mike Leigh focuses on a family of acerbic, terminally unemployed working-class Brits languishing in their East End council house. Frank and Mavis are the endlessly bickering parents of Mark and Colin. Colin is a slow-witted teenager who strikes up a disturbing friendship with Coxy, a local neo-Nazi. His aunt Barbara tries to lure him out of his shell by hiring him to help her wallpaper her new house. Unfortunately, Mark becomes jealous over this attention shown to his younger brother, triggering a series of taunts that convince Colin into rejecting his aunt's friendly offer. Not content in her own marriage to John, Barbara turns to the bottle to help dilute her inner pain. As the days wear on, the hopelessness of each individual's lives begins to catch up with them. As is the case with most of Leigh's films from the late 1980s (High Hopes, Life is Sweet), there is a bittersweet, comic quality to the story that keeps it from becoming completely pessimistic. This exceptional film also benefits from excellent performances by Bailey, Daniels, Oldman, and especially Roth.

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By David Dignan on 8th February 2001

By Anon on 23rd February 2000

By Chris Jenking on 18th December 1999

Related Genres

• Contemporary Film / Drama
• Contemporary Film / British

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