High Hopes is a social satire and one of director Mike Leigh's warmest and most optimistic films – though still laced with bittersweet melancholy.
The film revolves around the relationship of counterculture couple Cyril and Shirley, and their materialistic, middle-class extended family.
A critical portrait of generational, social, and class divides within Thatcher-era Britain, the film is ultimately a social comedy concerning culture clashes between different classes and belief systems.
Seventeen years after his debut feature Bleak Moments (1971), director Mike Leigh re-emerged on the big screen with this social satire, featuring standout performances and gaining critical and box-office success, also winning the Critics' Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1988.
Community Kino's focus is on films that cause a discussion, believing cinema can be an edifying and transformative tool for seeing ourselves, others and the wider society. The new community cinema is hosting film screenings with progressive discussions aimed at identifying the alternatives we are desperately seeking. Their events will also be a space for community, discussion, food, and drinks.
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