Episode 112: Mike Leigh’s “Life Is Sweet”
A discussion of Mike Leigh’s 1991 film, “Life Is Sweet.”
In 1991, Mike Leigh examines the small, intimate moments of a working class British family in “Life Is Sweet.” The film focuses on twin sisters, Nicola and Natalie, and how they relate to each other and their parents Wendy and Andy. The film serves as a brief look at a family struggling with itself, society and the economic system of a post-Margaret Thatcher England.
How does Mike Leigh experiment with the traditional three act structure in “Life Is Sweet?” What can be gained by following the lives of these twin sisters, Nicola and Natalie? And how does the introduction of David Thewlis in “Life Is Sweet,” inform us of his next role in Mike Leigh’s “Naked?”
Mike Leigh’s “Life Is Sweet” is the subject of episode 112 of the AuteurCast…
Good discussions, as always. Life is Sweet was essentially my introduction to indie British cinema, the first Mike Leigh film I ever watched and my favorite of all his films. I realize that Nicola is not the most likable character, but she’s probably the most sympathetic. She has no illusions of happiness, unlike the rest of her family. She is content to slowly succumb to self loathing. I always get chills when I watch Allison Steadman and Jane Horrocks confrontation near the end of the film. You get where the mom is coming from, because she knows her kid is a wreck, but she doesn’t see how to snap her out of it without being brutally honest. I also posit that the tough love worked and Nicola finally got her act together and left behind the bingeing and purging and chocolate baths.
Imagine a sequel where she’s fully developed emotionallly and living in a flat in London somewhere!