SECRETS & LIES

Written and directed by Mike Leigh

Brenda Blethyn
Maurice Jean-Baptiste
Timothy Spall
Claire Rushbrook

Premiere date: September 27, 1996
R for language.

Hortense, a young black optometrist, has just buried her beloved adoptive mother. In her sorrow, she embarks on a search for her birth mother, who turns out to be Cynthia, a white factory worker living a lonely life with her surly daughter Roxanne. No one in the family, except Cynthia's brother Maurice and his wife Monica, knows that the teenage Cynthia gave up a child for adoption without ever seeing the baby. Hortense contacts Cynthia, and after a heart-wrenching reconciliation, they become best friends. Cynthia convinces Hortense to attend a birthday party and meet the family - as a mate from the factory - but during the cake and champagne celebration, the family's secrets and lies emerge in a cathartic, emotional sweep.

Cannes Film Festival
Palme d'Or
Best Actress - Brenda Blethyn
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
xx
5 Academy Award Nominations
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actress - Brenda Blethyn
Best Supporting Actress - Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Best Original Screenplay

NAKED

Written and directed by Mike Leigh

David Thewlis
Lesley Sharp
Katrin Cartlidge
Greg Cruttwell
Claire Skinner
Peter Wight

Premiere date: September 14, 1993 (Toronto Film Festival)

Johnny is a self-confessed lost boy who heads for the big city grit and glamor of London to escape the repercussions of his most recent misstep: the sexual assault of a young woman. But a fresh start isn't meant to be, as Johnny runs into an old love and carouses with others gone astray.

Toronto International Film Festival
Metro Media Award

Cannes Film Festival
Best Director
Best Actor - David Thewlis

Back In Business

I just found out via /Film that Mike Leigh has started filming today on his next feature. Virtually no details are known yet, but it's exciting news anyway!

I was a big fan of last year's Happy-Go-Lucky - you may recall that it made my Top 10 List - so I'm thrilled to hear he's started working again. A little disappointed that Sally Hawkins isn't listed as a cast member, though. Her snub last year for Best Actress still stings, and I'd love for her to get another chance at it soon.

At any rate, I'll keep my ear to the ground and let you all know when specifics on this project are released. Mike Leigh and company tend to hash out their stories as they go, so it could be a while before anything of significance is known.

VERA DRAKE

Written and directed by Mike Leigh

Imelda Staunton

Premiere date: September 6, 2004 (Venice Film Festival)
R for depiction of strong thematic material.

Vera Drake is the beloved wife of Stan and the mother of Sid and Ethel. Vera spends her days cleaning houses for money and looking in on elderly and sick neighbors out of the kindness of her heart. She even attempts to be a matchmaker for her daughter, inviting a lonely neighbor, Reg, to see if he might be a perfect match for the introverted Ethel. But Vera performs another duty that her family doesn't know about, one that is deeply frowned upon by society. When tragedy befalls a young client of Vera's, the truth comes out, forcing her family to see their mother in an entirely different light.

Venice Film Festival
Golden Lion
Best Actress - Imelda Staunton

3 Academy Award Nominations
Best Director
Best Actress - Imelda Staunton
Best Original Screenplay