Meantime. 1983. Great Britain . Written and directed by Mike Leigh. With Marion Bailey, Phil Daniels, Tim Roth. 16mm. 107 min.
Featuring mesmerizing early performances by Tim Roth and Gary Oldman, Mike Leigh’s Meantime illustrates the tedium of unemployment and the slow descent into societal disillusionment it inevitably leads to. The film follows a working-class family in Thatcher-era England—particularly two sons—and contrasts them with their middle-class relatives. Already a veteran of BBC’s Play for Today, Leigh puts his fascination with the tragicomic lives of blue-collar workers on full display here.