All or Nothing

Leigh’s continued exploration of the day-to-day existence of working-class Brits divided audiences of All or Nothing over whether it was his bleakest or most optimistic film yet. He focuses his lens on a weekend in the lives of neighbors in a South London housing project whose world is rocked by unforeseen events. It’s a true ensemble piece, with Leigh regulars Timothy Spall as a dispirited taxi driver and Lesley Manville as his despairing wife. A. O. Scott of the New York Times gushed, “Their climactic confrontation, in which years of bitterness and dashed expectations pour out, is one of the most moving scenes I’ve seen in a movie this year.” 2002, 35mm, 128 minutes.