Meantime
Director: Mike Leigh
Year Released: 1983
Rating: 1.0
One of Mike Leigh's early films about a motley crew of poor folk in England - they sit around and mope about their grim future, argue with each other or hang out in the local pubs (they also have a skinhead associate played by Gary Oldman). Like Ken Loach, Leigh's obsessed with the working class and underprivileged - but the trouble with this film (in particular) and a good deal of both their films is the lack of hope or humor: life is torture, and occasionally (and I mean occasionally) there is a brief moment when no one wants to hang him/herself. I was never sure if Tim Roth's character is mentally handicapped or not, but I believe it's safe to assume so; Phil Daniels, who plays his brother, is a dead ringer for 'Weird Al' Yankovic. The music - which plays over almost every scene and often over dialogue - is an abomination.
