Happy-Go-Lucky

Celebrated British film director Mike Leigh has a new film out, ‘Happy Go Lucky’.

The title refers to the film’s optimistic, irrepressible main character, forties some thing Londoner, Poppy. Leigh takes us vividly into Poppy’s world, the cosy flat she shares with her flatmate, Zoe, her work as dedicated primary school teacher, and some of the encounters she has along the way.

‘Happy Go Lucky’ is Leigh solid, poignant filmmaking to a tee. His tales are always of the struggles of the ‘common man’, and filled with the still, sad music of humanity.

I took away from ‘Happy-Go Lucky’ two well realised characters. Sally Hawkins gave a wonderful, performance as Poppy. No wonder that she won the best actress award at the Berlin Film Festival. Thankfully, I‘ve met a few Poppy’s in my life, they make life just that bit easier to get through, and they’re just like Hawkins’s portrayal.

Eddie Marson’s performance as Poppy’s crazy driving instructor, Scott, had that wow factor. His performance slowly but deftly draws one in. At first one thinks that Scott is fine and just very wound-up, by the end he has become this incredibly sad, lonely disturbed man. Marson’s performance jumps at you from off the screen.