Meantime

Plot synopsis:
The film unfolds in brief episodes, detailing the travails of the working-class Pollock family, who live in a shabby flat in a tower block in London's East End. They are struggling to stay afloat during the recession under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's premiership. Only the nagging, put-upon mother Mavis (Pam Ferris) is working; the bitter, feckless father Frank (Jeff Robert) and the couple's two sons Colin (Tim Roth), an extremely shy young man, and Mark (Phil Daniels), his outspoken, headstrong older brother, are on the dole. Their aimless, querulous existence is contrasted with Mavis's sister Barbara (Marion Bailey) and her husband John (Alfred Molina), whose financial and social loftiness in suburban Chigwell serves as a comfortable facade for their lacklustre marriage.
The boys spend their time at home, on the street, at friends' flats, in the unemployment office, and at the local pub. Mark is continually scrounging for cash and cadging drinks from his friends, among them Coxy (Gary Oldman in his screen debut), a crude, impulsive skinhead. Colin has a crush on a sweet-natured girl named Hayley (Tilly Vosburgh), but he can't bring himself to act upon it. Mark mocks his father, teases Colin by calling him "Kermit" and "Muppet," and makes insinuations about Barbara's troubled relationship with her husband. Barbara offers Colin a job helping her redecorate her home, but when Mark shows up, Colin withdraws, refuses to do any work, and finally leaves. When he returns home, he's had his head shaved. There is no resolution to the film, simply a succession of days that present commonplace problems, amusements, conversations, and arguments.

Tags: realism

Review:
This is Mike Leigh's finest film.It's a shame, but inevitable given the climate of the film world, that he has become celebrated for lesser works such as "Secrets And Lies" and the odious "Vera Drake" which I found almost unwatchably patronising.
But the acting in "Meantime" is in many ways even more impressive, as the actors have less material - less BUSINESS - to work with.
Tim Roth tends to get the plaudits for his unforgettable portrayal of the mentally retarded little brother Colin, but Phil Daniels steals the film for me: his eyes are astonishing in the range of emotional depth they command, and his jerky, uncomfortable movements vividly describe a frustrated intellect driven to despair at the hopelessness surrounding him and the terrible fear that this hopelessness is creeping inside of him.
But it is in the way that Daniels's character Mark expresses his love for his helpless and hapless idiot brother that finally secures the film's greatness.
But it is real love, true and unconditional, and the way Roth's character Colin responds to it is immediate and instinctive.
The crane shot of Daniels aimlessly wandering around Piccadilly Circus, the long shot of Daniels and Oldman disappearing down the canal tow-path, the unexpected close-ups, the sheer range of the camera-work is breathtaking in such a cheaply made film.If Mike Leigh ever makes a better film, or Phil Daniels ever gives a better performance, it will be a miracle.
The fact that the film has gone from almost complete obscurity when it was made (1983) to enjoy a steadily growing cult status is indication that, gradually, more and more people are realising that, far from being a dated curio, this is a very special and precious piece of cinematic art indeed..
I'm a big fan of Mike Leigh's gritty films, and 'Meantime' fits well into his admirable canon.
Here, his microscope (forget the lens) is on a NON-working class (perhaps proletarian without the peasant's earth) family in 'estate' housing in the wretched suburbs of London.
Once again, as in all his films, Leigh, using his well-known improvisational rehearsal-and-execution technique, receives razor-sharp performances from his cast.
At the centre of this work are two simply superb performances: Phil Daniels as Mark and Tim Roth as his mentally 'slow' younger brother Colin.
I listened to fragments of this dialogue and it became an exercise in linguistic irony: these characters live in the country where the English language was BORN.Doesn't matter; it's still a great and very moving film..
This is Mike Leigh's finest film.
But of course as with all Mike Leigh's films it's all about the performances of the actors and they're all pitch perfect.
I feel a bit sorry for Tim Roth, his first film role and without a doubt his greatest, how could he ever equal it, it was all downhill from here.
Leigh, as he has done with every decade provides an accurate social comment of the time, the sheer boredom of a disaffected youth, the pointlessness of life without a job and the struggle to fill the days, with something to do.
Personally I think it ranks up there with Leigh finest work, helped by an outstanding performance by Tim Roth and wonderful cameos by Gary Oldman, Phil Daniels and Marion Bailey.
A typical early Mike Leigh comedy-drama about the working class..
It sounds (and looks) depressing, but turns out to be more entertaining than one would imagine; after all, this isn't a Ken Loach film.
The reasons why it's good are the usual ones in a Mike Leigh film; interesting characters, excellent acting from the entire cast, and well thought-out dialog.
Leigh doesn't reduce his characters to caricature (a complaint often levelled against him) - Thatcherism does, by removing all those things - hope, work, dreams etc.
Notable for debut performances by Tim Roth and Gary Oldman, they along with the rest of the cast portray their characters with amazing believability.
This movie is a portrayal of the poor working class, on the Dole and their frustration with Thatcherism.
Auntie Barbara represents a working class girl, gone to college, married up and now lives a miserable existence with a cheating husband.
Over 30 years later it has an amazing cast of British actors before they well known Leigh has always had a reputation of spotting potential raw talent and of the cast Phil Daniels was by the far best known cast member of this production .
Roth plays a retarded social outcast trying to find his way in life while Oldman plays a fascist National Front skinhead The downside is that MEANTIME is a very mundane , low concept film where very little happens .
This film is beautifully shot, acted and directed and you can't help identifying with at leat one of the characters.
Tim Roth as Colin is especially fantastic with Phil Daniels close behind.
Tim Roth stars as Colin, a slow and possibly intellectually disabled man living with his parents and brother in a housing project.
He and his sarcastic manipulative brother still behave like teenagers, living with their parents, harassing each other.According to the critic Michael Coveney, "The sapping, debilitating and demeaning state of unemployment, the futile sense of waste, has not been more poignantly, or poetically, expressed in any other film of the period." Now, I don't know about all that.
What makes it even worth viewing at all is the debut performance of Gary Oldman, as well as an early appearance by Tim Roth doing his "slow person" routine (a strange acting tic he does)..
Once more these people are like real poeple not acters which is something I admire most about his films.The family in this film are all unemployed and are getting on each others nerves.
I live in London and am very much working class.I watched this film while shaking my head and wondering who watches this sort of dire stereotypical tripe.Then it suddenly became clear during the scene where the nice, decent, middle class man from the council popped round to fix the windows.
This man, in all his smug glory, put the world to rights before retreating so the main characters (all of whom were paper thin parodies of real life), could continue arguing, slamming doors, smoking, and generally being all working class for another hour or so before the film finished.Dire.
And then I read several reviews on IMDb stating this is a post modern masterpiece, etc etc.If you want to know about working class life in the 80's try the brilliant Made In Britain (also with Tim Roth), or the equally excellent TV series Boys From The Black Stuff.
If you want to watch nearly two hours of patronising faux intellectualism passed off as cutting edge social commentary, Meantime is probably the film for you..
Roth and Phil Daniels are brilliant as brothers, displaying the right amount of bitter hatred and genuine love and concern.
Colin (Tim Roth) is unemployed and a little slow.
His brother Mark (Phil Daniels) and skin head friend Coxy (Gary Oldman) drink their days away.
Barbara gives Colin a job at her house which only turns the family relationships toxic.This is early Mike Leigh and it is straight into his favorite subject, the English underclass.
Like most Mike Leigh movies, this is very much a character study.
Typically bleak Mike Leigh film set this time in London in the early 80's.
The story, such as there is, circles around the relationship between Mike, played by Phil Daniels, and his brother Colin (Tim Roth).
Interesting to see how Tim Roth and Gary Oldman started out.
Watching that film made me feel good, it showed that through mean times there is still something good left in people, poverty creates also solidarity.
Tim Roth steals the show as the inimitably brilliant Colin Pollock (even the name conjures up an image of backwardness) - and if you ever need proof of the raw talents of a great British actor, watch this film back-to-back with Made in Britain.
The writing is sharper than a knife and in no way is this a gloomy film, and a number of characters introduced for comic effect, the council housing officer.
"Meantime" is a rough and gritty portrait of a dysfunctional council estate family with very little hope for the future, yet the film refuses to wear down the viewer simply by being very funny.Overall rating: 7 out of 10..
He and his slow brother, Roth, who's just great to watch act here, like their Mother and Father are, all on the dole.
But luck is looking up, when the Aunt offers, Colin (Roth) a job opportunity, which brings jealousy from Daniel's, who tries to sway him away from the job on his first day, where he actually goes to his place of employment, which is actually the Aunt's place, to paint her walls.
Baldie/punk Oldman is like Daniel's sidekick, an over the top character, who makes a meal of his role, and in one scene where he crashes a girl's place with Roth, we're witness to some real scary type behavior where too it's just great acting.
It's these actors that carry this movie, although we have great support too from everyone that carries their weight, including the versatile Molina as the much better off Aunt's, successful and snooty husband, where compared to the other family, they're living in paradise.
There's so many interesting scenes in this film, though I can't imagine ever watching this without Daniels.
Director Leigh too is interesting, with the filming of some of his shots, e.g. a hallway scene where afar, the mother is trying to get the washing dryer to work.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy the film but the amazing characters and acting pulls you in.
Director Mike Leigh who also created the classic flick, Naked 1993 has created another gem in Meantime.Starring Tim Roth who has also been in other classic flicks, Gridlock'd 1997, No Way Home 1996, Little Odessa 1994, Pulp Fiction 1994, Reservoir Dogs 1992, The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover 1989 and Made in Britain 1982.Also starring Marion Bailey.Also starring Phil Daniels who was also in the classic flick, Scum 1979.Also starring Gary Oldman who has also been in the classic flicks, Air Force One 1997, Leon: The Professional 1994, True Romance 1993, Dracula 1992, JFK 1991, State of Grace 1990, The Dark Knight 2008 and Sid and Nancy 1986.Also starring Alfred Molina who has also been in the classic flicks, Spider-Man 2 2004, Identity 2003, Boogie Nights 1997, Dead Man 1995 and Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981.I enjoyed the working class settings.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic family flicks, The Children 2008, Crooklyn 1994, Evil Angels 1988, The Ex 1997, Fear 1996, The Fourth Man 1983, Happiness 1998, Ladybird Ladybird 1994, Nowhere to Hide 1987, Once Were Warriors 1994, The Orphan 2009, Simple Men 1992, Spanking the Monkey 1994, Visitor Q 2001, Derailed 2005, Suburban Mayhem 2006, Bullies 1986, Quite Cool 1986, The Afflicted 2010, Flirting with Disaster 1996, Juno 2007, Knocked Up 2007, The Guest 2014, Not Suitable for Children 2012, Run All Night 2015, This is 40 2012, Short Cuts 1993, Macabre 2009 and Welcome to the Dollhouse 1995..
We are with them for about an hour and a half and thats more than enough as you will feel suffocated by theiroppression - I was trying to find an excuse to get out of my bed and dosomething but I lost the will when this film swallowed me up and made me feel that there was nothing to get up for as it was so depressing.The boys in this family aren't really boys, they are old enough to be classed as 'men' but because of lack of money because of lack of work, they are still in the role of children, sharing a bedroom and living with mum and dad and they never leave the estate.
Nothing goes on in this film,the characters have a really boring existence.
Anybody who downvotes this film and says 'yeah i'm from London' (but grew up in a middle class household) knows absolutely nothing about this era...i'm a Stoke lad (so yeah i grew up in a Kes era up north) but i was also forced to live in london during the 80's/90's...This film captures all that Thatcherism did to the UK..
I've lived this life, and Mike Leigh does a terrific job at portraying it...Also Phil Daniels needs some recognition on a great turn...so before you go mouthing off over nothing you know about...consider the past reality.
I saw Mike Leigh's film "Meantime" when it came out in 1983.
If anyone would like to know what it was like to live in the U.K. when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, then watching Mike Leigh's film "Meantime" will give them some idea of how bad it was.
They barely scrape by, living in a small, cramped flat in a tower block in London's East End. The Wife, Mavis (Pam Ferris) her husband, Frank (Jeffrey Robert) and their two sons: Colin (Tim Roth) and Mark (Phil Daniels) are all on the dole.
To relieve the boredom, Colin makes friends with an obnoxious skinhead named Coxy (Gary Oldman's first starring role).
Note: "Meantime" was made at a time when the British Film Industry was under threat from funding cuts by the Thatcher government.
This is a languidly paced slice-of-life film where Mike Leigh leaves no stone unturned to give us a raw representation of financial hopelessness and social disenchantment in Margaret Thatcher's England.
The film mostly follows the members of the Pollocks, a working class London family who live in a state of perennial stagnation.
The members of the family namely Frank, Mavia and the brothers Mark & Colin do very little apart from sitting on the sofas of their cramped apartment and watching television.
Leigh takes his time to capture the disillusionment, the constant sense of internal humiliation and jealousy that exists in this household.
There is a clear indication of clash between classes in the very opening scene where the viewer can feel the tension caused by the jealousy of Frank and Mavia for having to spend time in the suburban home of John and Barbara who at times inadvertently make Frank and Mavia conscious of the financial contrasts between the two families.
Tim Roth deserves special mention for expertly portraying the character of the 'slow' Colin.
One of Mike Leigh's Very Best Films!.
The raw, hard-hitting 'Meantime' (1983), exploring strong social and political issues of the day (mainly the high unemployment level), evokes the deep working-class despair of "Thatcher's Britain" in the early 1980's.
This, of course, is also largely due to the impressive, stellar cast line-up, boasting the outstanding talents of the dynamic Phil Daniels, Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, Pam Ferris, Marion Bailey, Alfred Molina and Jeff Robert, who each possess the skill and talent of being able to improvise their scenes, proving to be highly effective in this case.
The cast are all perfect in their naturalistic style of acting and carefully prepared, astutely observed and expertly structured characterisations.'Meantime' follows the working-class Pollack family, headed by Mavis (Pam Ferris) and Frank (Jeff Robert) who seemingly have little time for their sons, the mentally-challenged Colin (Tim Roth) and ever-sarcastic and troublesome Mark (Phil Daniels).
The Pollack family live on a bleak, run-down council tower block on a rough estate, having to survive on unemployment benefits.
Tim Roth is totally superb as Colin.
Colin hadn't had much of a chance or the best start in life, having had little encouragement given to him other than by his loving Aunty Barbara.
It must be said that the genuine humanity of the family becomes patently clear near the ending - they all love one another, just all the long , hard years of struggling and living in the grim block of flats had obviously taken its toll, grinding all of them down.Colin practically follows his older brother Mark (Phil Daniels) around like a loyal puppy, looking up to him and desperately wanting his friendship, love, respect and acceptance.
Mark, though, sees Colin as a "muppet", makes fun out of him at every opportunity and orders him around, belittling him, yet loves and protects him at the same time.
Eventually Colin befriends one of Marks mates Coxy (Gary Oldman), an even more mentally-challenged lad living on the same estate, who is a skinhead, racist and thug.
Somehow, as the film progresses, you begin to warm to the character, not least down to Phil's excellent performance.
You do feel hints of Marks frustration of him being unemployed and its like there's something in him that indeed does want to better himself in some way and find a way out of the dead end lifestyle he'd been living, but sadly not really knowing quite how.Gary Oldman is also superb as the mentally-challenged and seemingly deranged skinhead Coxy, who Colin mistakenly looks up to.
His character has little time or affection for his increasingly frustrated and suppressed wife Barbara.
The most touching (and my favourite) scenes are at the end of the film where Colin returns home to the flat after running out of Barbara's, wearing his parka jacket with the hood up; his parents shout at him and Mavis goes to clout him round the ear but Mark intervenes and protects him.
The next morning Mark discovers Colin's skinhead (hence why he slept all night in his parka jacket with the hood up) and jokingly nicknames him Kojak - but this time, and unlike before, he's laughing with him not at him.'Meantime' is a true British classic and an interesting social document of its time.
A film like this works or doesn't work depending on the acting.
No ideas, only experiences.I came to this after hearing solid praise for Mike Leigh's work..