194. Tender Loving Care: Mike Leigh's wonderful film about what care can and can't do

Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care is a film about kind and empathetic people being kind and empathetic. And how rare is that?

In this episode, Alex Heeney asks what tender loving care actually looks like in the film — between friends, family members, and social workers and the people they care for — and what that care can and can't do.

Alex digs into the scenes and filmmaking choices that illuminate those relationships, including the film's use of domestic spaces, what Leigh keeps offscreen, Jacqueline Durran's costumes, recurring scenes of singing, and the opening and closing shots that complicate the film's take on care.

Alex's upcoming film programs:

The Deep Focus: The Worst Person in the World starts October 8.

The Long Take returns in November for the first time in a year.

Get invited to upcoming programs and free events:

Tell me where to reach you at email.seventh-row.com

More from Seventh Row:

Peterloo in Process, Alex's book about Mike Leigh's filmmaking process: mikeleighbook.com

Hard Truths podcast episode

Questions? contact@seventh-row.com