Mike Leigh OBE FRSL is a British film and theater director whose career has spanned over five decades. Leigh made his directorial debut on the silver screen in 1971 with Bleak Moments. Over the years, he has shaped his very own style through the use of lengthy improvisations that build characters and storylines. As a result, the actors become quite entangled in their roles. This not only leads to greater performance from the actors, but allows for a more realistic portrayal of the story that Leigh wishes to get across.

Leigh is considered an auteur for his style of filmmaking and his way of writing dialogue. With over 50 years under his belt as a filmmaker, it’s impossible for him not to have a number of successes among those works of art. While Leigh has only directed a total of fourteen films, not one of them has been considered for a Razzie. Unfortunately, Mike Leigh has been nominated several times at the Academy Awards, but has yet to receive an Oscar for his work. That said, there are some among others that are worthy of even more attention as Leigh’s style shines through the film. These are the best Mike Leigh movies, ranked.

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8 Happy-Go-Lucky

Happy-Go-Lucky tells the story of Poppy (Oscar-nominee Sally Hawkins), an optimistic teacher who takes driving lessons from Scott (Eddie Marsan), a cynical downbeat instructor. While Scott and Poppy clash, Poppy begins to date Tim, a social worker who came to her school to help the children. Happy-Go-Lucky has received universal acclaim for its light-hearted moments that still seem to bite. Leigh’s trademark cartoony dialogue suits the tone of the film and helps to lighten some of the more serious moments. Leigh was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards, and he won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director, among many others.

7 Vera Drake

Vera Drake, starring Imelda Staunton as the title character, is a wonderful period piece set in 1950s England. Wife and housekeeper Vera Drake is known to her friends for her kind demeanor and her devotion to her family. Unbeknownst to her friends and family, Vera provides abortions to local women. She loses her reputation when the authorities discover her secret, and her freedom is soon under threat. Based on a study of imprisoned abortionists from 1959 to 1962, Vera Drake is a look into the reality of the underground abortions performed in the middle of the 20th century. The film won a number of awards and earned Mike Leigh a nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Director.

6 Secrets & Lies

Successful Black optometrist Hortense seeks out her birth mother after the death of her adoptive mother, shocked to discover that her birth mother is a low-class white woman named Cynthia. While the two butt heads at first, they begin to bond, leading to Cynthia inviting Hortense to a barbeque that creates even more tension between Cynthia and her family. Secrets & Lies features an ensemble cast, with many of Leigh’s frequent actor-collaborators, including Timothy Spall, and was nominated for a number of awards, including five nominations at the Academy Awards, taking home a British Academy Film Award for Best British Film.

5 All or Nothing

Following the lives of cab driver Phil and supermarket cashier Penny, whose love is wavering. Their children Rachel and Rory are in their lives but don’t seem to add any hope in rekindling their love until an unexpected tragedy occurs which helps reunite Phil and Penny, rekindling their love. The film was praised for its depiction of working-class family life in present-day London. All or Nothing received the London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Film and gained Mike Leigh yet another nomination for Best Director at the European Film Awards.

4 High Hopes

High Hopes is a rather odd story about an old widow Mrs. Bender with her yuppie daughter Valeria and a Marxist son Cyril and his girlfriend Shirley. Cyril and Shirley’s ideals clash with Cyril’s family’s, yet they still manage to maintain a relationship. The film received a great deal of praise for displaying the sharp contrast between the ways in which the wealthy and the working-class live. That said, the film does not necessarily support Marxism, but instead encourages the audience to trust their own ideas and not fear the working class. High Hopes was nominated for several awards, including Best Film at the European Film Awards, and won Mike Leigh the FIPRESCI Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

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3 Life is Sweet

This comedic drama focuses on twin sisters Natalie and Nicola and their parents Andy and Wendy. While the twins may look alike, their outlooks on life are completely different. Plumber Natalie tends to be more optimistic like her mother Wendy, while unemployed Nicola dwells on the negative. Life is Sweet is yet another installation into Mike Leigh’s repertoire of juxtaposing the positive with the negative. His third film ever made, Life is Sweet was Leigh’s most commercially successful film at the time of its release. Life is Sweet earned a number of awards, including British Film of the Year from the London Critics Circle Film Awards.

2 Naked

Following the exploits of Johnny, an intellectual conspiracy theorist as he vents his ranks on strangers and embarks on a journey throughout London. The content of the film ranges from rape to theft to the incompetence of the police, all of which are topics most don’t wish to discuss. Naked broke ground with its gritty uncensored content, gaining lead actor, David Thewlis, international recognition for his performance. Naked won a number of awards including Best Director for Mike Leigh at the Cannes Film Festival.

1 Bleak Moments

In Mike Leigh’s directorial debut, secretary Sylvia, struggles with her everyday life enmeshed with the hardships of caring for her mentally challenged sister Hilda and fantasies about her teacher and boyfriend. Bleak Moments was highly praised despite the low quality of picture and sound, making up for it in complex plot and content. Bleak Moments is a forgotten gem in Leigh’s work that ought to be revisited, considering it was just remastered on Blu-ray.