Once again, Mike Leigh crafts a film that leaves me completely emotionally drained by the time the credits roll. The film is immensely suspenseful, and this suspense doesn't come in the Hitchcockian 'physical danger around every corner' kind of way. We are exposed to the various secrets and lies formed in this dysfunctional family very early on, and the entire film is just a slow buildup until everything explodes and it is out in the open. We are forced to sit and wait for the inevitable collision of all the painfully awkward secrets that this family contains. Behind all of this is a beautifully operatic score that creates the perfect ambiance to the entire work. As with Leigh's earlier work Naked, he creates an ensemble of strong, detailed and incredibly flawed characters. Everyone has so much inner emotional pain, that when they all end up in a room together your heart explodes with the uncomfortable anguish of every secret revealed. It's a series of savage beatings, one right after the other, that rips your emotional core into pieces and leaves them to be stomped on in the dirt. Of course behind all of this is a beautiful moral, and that's where the film really shines. Behind all of the pain and gut-wrenching heartache, there is a wonderful story that perfectly depicts the folly of secrets and lies. We see that being truthful and honest for your entire life is ultimately the best decision, regardless of how hard it may be. Letting all of the emotional pain build up over the course of decades will only lead to an even more painful conclusion. In the end, it's better to simply be honest and trustworthy.

Hortense sets out to track down her biological mother, she discovers factory worker Cynthia, and also learns that she has a half sister, Roxanne.

One of the best films ever made for my money, it really is Mike Leigh's masterpiece. There isn't a single wasted scene in this film, every single moment has relevance, every single moment matters.

How can a film be so funny and so heart breaking in equal measures, it's a tremendous character study, it captures all essence of human nature. Several moments will never leave me, that moment where Maurice deals with Emma Amos's scar victim, and that incredible family blow up, incredible.

I get asked who my favourite actress is, and when I say Brenda Blethyn, people assume it's for Vera, and whilst I love Vera, it's because of Cynthia, don't get me wrong, the cast are phenomenal, but Blethyn is exquisite.

No wonder this film won so many awards, in reality it deserved many more. It's a film that has stood the test of time, and one that gets better with every viewing.

An exquisite, human film, with lots of stories to tell.

10/10.