Ep. 164 – Mike Leigh (feat. Alex Heeney)

Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.  Today we discuss Mike Leigh, one of our greatest living filmmakers. Born in England in 1943, Leigh remains an artist for the everyday person more than most. And this descriptor is quite reductive, as the writer/director’s aesthetic is deceivingly simple and incredibly effective. Our B-Sides are Life is Sweet, Career Girls, All or Nothing, and Peterloo. Our guest is Alex Heeney, Editor-in-Chief of The Seventh Row, co-author of Peterloo in Process, and host of the Seventh Row Podcast. They’ve covered several of Leigh’s films on the podcast, including Naked and Hard Truths.  Heeney also put together a short guide just for our listeners! It features a standout 2024 release that’s flown under the radar — with characters as rich and layered as Leigh’s best. It includes a spoiler-free intro, where to watch, and a few thoughtful prompts to deepen the experience. We talk with Heeney about Leigh’s unique, collaborative development for each new film, his early work with the BBC and Channel 4 (Bleak Moments, Meantime, High Hopes among others) before Life is Sweet’s modest breakout success.  There’s also discussion about Secrets & Lies and the immediate follow-up Career Girls, which feels in many ways like a companion to Naked. We also debate whether or not the flashbacks in Career Girls are the product of memory or a more traditional narrative construction. We celebrate the breadth of Timothy Spall’s range in Leigh’s films (including his powerful turn in All or Nothing), Dan praises Leigh’s incredible short film A Sense of History. We chat over our favorite Mike Leigh films and some of his films that haven’t worked as well for us. And above all else, we marvel at his ability to find the truth in his characters, big and small. You can subscribe here. Be sure to give us a follow on Bluesky at @tfsbside.bsky.social. Enjoy!