High Hopes (1988) by Mike Leigh is an open-ended narrative film that mostly
centers around Cyril, a working class motor-cyclist carrier, his girlfriend
Shirley, and their relationship with Cyril’s elderly mother and his social-climbing
sister. Rather than plot-driven, the film instead acts as a social commentary
to London’s class system culture, which is exhibited through each character;
because of this, I felt that the movie was too slow-paced for my liking. Unlike
other films, the plot does not carry the film into a satisfactory end, where
the protagonist finally overcomes the conflict or has an outstanding
revelation. This at first annoyed me, but I realized that because of this, I am
able to relate and apply the themes of the film into my life more effortlessly.
My favorite
part of the film was the character of Shirley, the kind hearted and humorous counterpart
to her more fractious boyfriend and his family. Although living in a less than
ideal financial situation, Shirley is unconcerned with material goods and
status; she is happy with her life with Cyril and brings her positive attitude
to every situation, unafraid to joke around even in tense events. On the
contrary, Cyril’s sister Valerie has everything she could possibly want, but is
instead is shown as the most insincere and unhappiest character of the film. Even
though she is financially stable and has access to all the material goods she
desires, she is living with an unloving relationship and is constantly battling
to rise above her current social status. While the antics were seemingly over
exaggerated and highly annoying, I believe that the actress did a phenomenal
job depicting Valerie’s selfishness that leads to her constant letdown and misery
in her life.
Really good analysis! When watching High Hopes, I also thought the movie was too slow paced and I was expecting a plot to form. My favorite character was also Shirley because she was always so kind to Mrs. Bender.
ReplyDeleteShirley kind of feels like Joe in the sense that both of them live in less than optimal living situations yet still bring a life and love to the scene that none of the other characters quite do. I love your analysis of Valerie because she does prove that money and material goods can't buy happiness. I think the commentary through Valerie and Shirley is that happiness instead stems from our outlooks on life and the relationships we build along the way.
ReplyDeleteThe actress did do a fantastic job in depicting Valerie’s character. Although I do prefer films with exciting plots, I do love how this film expressed two very different characters and their outlooks on life. Shirley was content with her life, while Valerie was miserably attempting to climb social classes.
ReplyDeleteHi Jade! Admittedly, when Shirley was first introduced I found myself confused and as to her character. She seemed a bit out of place. However, after the finishing the film and reading your interesting analysis I find that the character is a bit more important, as she is a direct contrast to the more egregious characters.
ReplyDeleteHi Jade! The movie's emphasis on social commentary did make it difficult to follow but it did made it more relatable. Your comparison of Shirley and Valerie is spot on. While Valerie's exuberant antics were annoying, I agree that this just added to the realism of the film.
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