Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Sally Hawkins | ... | Poppy | |
Elliot Cowan | ... | Bookshop Assistant | |
Alexis Zegerman | ... | Zoe | |
Andrea Riseborough | ... | Dawn | |
Sinead Matthews | ... | Alice (as Sinéad Matthews) | |
Kate O'Flynn | ... | Suzy | |
Sarah Niles | ... | Tash | |
Eddie Marsan | ... | Scott | |
Joseph Kloska | ... | Suzy's Boyfriend | |
Sylvestra Le Touzel | ... | Heather | |
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Anna Reynolds | ... | Receptionist |
Nonso Anozie | ... | Ezra | |
Trevor Cooper | ... | Patient | |
Karina Fernandez | ... | Rosita Santos | |
Philip Arditti | ... | Flamenco Student |
Poppy Cross is happy-go-lucky. At 30, she lives in Camden: cheeky, playful, frank while funny, and talkative to strangers. She's a conscientious and exuberant primary-school teacher, flatmates with Zoe, her long-time friend; she's close to one sister, and not so close to another. In this slice of life story, we watch her take driving lessons from Scott, a dour and tightly-wound instructor, take classes in flamenco dance from a fiery Spaniard, encounter a tramp in the night, and sort out a student's aggressive behavior with a social worker's help. Along the way, we wonder if her open attitude puts her at risk of misunderstanding or worse. What is the root of happiness? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
All of the Mike Leigh traits are present in this lovely little film: the dysfunctional family, the contrasting approaches to life and a bittersweet questioning of what it is to be happy, what it is to be human.
The film is at times both lovely and disturbing. It is life affirming but carries a caveat that unhappiness does exist in sullen faces, in madness, in neuroses. However, the central characters triumph in an engaging if quirky film that may well see you leaving the cinema with a lighter step and a lighter heart.
It is not a film that will win top awards but it is one that will remain in the memory a good while as it is thought provoking and ultimately wonderful.