A darkly comic portrait of late Thatcher-era London, High Hopes examines the different lives of a pair of siblings: Cyril, a caustic motorcycle courier who takes pride in his working class roots, and Valerie, a high-strung aspirant to upper-middle class materialism. Cyril and girlfriend Shirley debate the merits of starting a family as they help Cyril’s aging mother cope with senility; Valerie, meanwhile, remains oblivious not only of her mother’s plight but also of the infidelities committed by her boorish husband Martin.

(Mike Leigh, UK, English, 108 min 1988, DCP)