High Hopes | Phil Davis, Lesley Manville, Philip Jackson, Edna Doré (1988)

Directed by Mike Leigh, High Hopes (1988) is a dark comedy about life, money, and class in late-1980s London. The story follows Cyril and Shirley, a down-to-earth couple trying to stay true to their values while struggling to get by. Things come to a head around Cyril’s aging, lonely mother, who is being squeezed out of her changing neighbourhood. Leigh puts their caring relationship side by side with Cyril’s status-obsessed sister and her snobbish neighbours. A straight-talking, realistic look at family conflicts, political disappointment, and holding onto your humanity when times are tough. Made in 1988 for Channel 4's "Film on Four" strand, and first broadcast 1st March 1990.