Review of Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) by Ali B — 26 Apr 2009

Mike Leigh, always an iconoclast, has never made a film that was not distinctly his own. He has never been concerned with studio or even general public expections. As a result, he refuses to succumb to cliche or simplicity.

Happy-Go-Lucky is no exception, and is one of his best films in years. It is about the subject of happiness, specifically in the way its protagonist, Poppy (played by Sally Hawkins in the trickiest, and best, female performance of 2008), uses it in her daily life.

Yes, she is silly and playful, but this is not your typical comedy. Leigh refuses to see her behavior as pathological, or her joyful outlook on life as fluffy or lighthearted. She is not a ditz. She is instead insightful, intelligent, and blissfully aware of what is going on.

Her happiness is a way to fight, and more importantly, empathize with the darkness around her- a neglected, abused child, a schizophrenic homeless man, and, most central to the story, the outlook on life of her disturbed, prejudiced driving instructor.

The scenes with her and the instructor (played by Eddie Marsan in another excellent performance) are superbly shot in a small, closed car, allowing wildly different personalities to clash in a maelstrom of playfullness, drama, suppressed rage, and a degree of understanding.

DP Dick Pope's use of bright colours is superficial and subversive at the same time, forcing us to think about what is unfolding, rather than relying on preconveived notion of how a film like this should play out.

One of the best of 2008.