Happy-go-lucky . UK, 2008.
Director and Screenwriter: Mike Leigh
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman
Topics of interest: sexual freedom, promiscuity
Synopsis:
Poppy is a happy childhood education teacher who lives in a neighborhood near London. At 30 years does not seem to want to settle down, he likes to live with her best friend, Zoe, entertained with various activities, leaving the weekends partying and flirting in fun ways with all the guys you know, without any anxiety find the man of her life.
Comment: As usual in the Mike Leigh film , 
Happy not have a closed frame or concrete, but rather a series of episodes in the life of Poppy : Flamenco classes, driving lessons, his work with young children, a visit to her pregnant sister, their weekend partying with her friends, her romance with her school teacher .... All these anecdotes are the picture of what in another era would have been called a liberated woman, modern or emancipated, and now should be a perfectly normal, but still rather exceptional in the film.
And it assumes that the way of life and being of Poppy, free, casual and carefree, that is what the original title of the film is acceptable in a girl of twenty years, but arrival thirties as a man as a woman, but much more the latter, mark other targets. P
Oppy is a teacher, a relatively good job from the point of view of a English, but in the UK is about the profession considered worse and worse paid to which you can choose someone to study, but our friend enjoy with their work and not see him greater ambitions. And apply the same philosophy to his private life against unmarried neurotic, bitter, desperate and unable to live without a man to whom we are accustomed to film and television, Poppy enjoys her freedom, she likes flirting with men and begins a relationship with an attractive coworker. However, The girl lives this affair, we do not know if it will or will not continue, again with ease, without seeing in him a lifeline or show no fear of commitment.
Poppy the beginning of the film may seem crazy and infuriating. But as the narrative progresses, partly thanks to great work of the actress, we realize that it is an intelligent young man and his attitude is a vital choice that she makes so much more aware than it seems. Above all it is clear that being happy is a question of taking things with good humor and nonchalance.
Other characters in the film represent the conventional view of bourgeois society Poppy rebuking not find a partner, a better job, not being more competitive, and so on. His sister, who is very proud of herself for being married, pregnant and living in an elegant house with her husband, advertise the wonders of the conventional life to try to preach to the misguided family, but it's easy see that the true function of this speech is to convince herself and cover their own insecurity.
Similarly, the teacher of the driving school we are sensing throughout the film who is attracted by Poppy, eventually bursting and finally reproaching her flirt with men, although this character is right to say that she not so crazy but is fully aware of its appeal and its game, which is doing well no longer cling to the seriousness to make sense of a gray existence. The film, while far from didactic panfletarismo Ken Loach and a British social cinema look no labels of any kind, shows great respect for the freedom of the person and the right to pursue happiness each in its own way .
Happy not have a closed frame or concrete, but rather a series of episodes in the life of Poppy : Flamenco classes, driving lessons, his work with young children, a visit to her pregnant sister, their weekend partying with her friends, her romance with her school teacher .... All these anecdotes are the picture of what in another era would have been called a liberated woman, modern or emancipated, and now should be a perfectly normal, but still rather exceptional in the film. And it assumes that the way of life and being of Poppy, free, casual and carefree, that is what the original title of the film is acceptable in a girl of twenty years, but arrival thirties as a man as a woman, but much more the latter, mark other targets. P
Oppy is a teacher, a relatively good job from the point of view of a English, but in the UK is about the profession considered worse and worse paid to which you can choose someone to study, but our friend enjoy with their work and not see him greater ambitions. And apply the same philosophy to his private life against unmarried neurotic, bitter, desperate and unable to live without a man to whom we are accustomed to film and television, Poppy enjoys her freedom, she likes flirting with men and begins a relationship with an attractive coworker. However, The girl lives this affair, we do not know if it will or will not continue, again with ease, without seeing in him a lifeline or show no fear of commitment. Poppy the beginning of the film may seem crazy and infuriating. But as the narrative progresses, partly thanks to great work of the actress, we realize that it is an intelligent young man and his attitude is a vital choice that she makes so much more aware than it seems. Above all it is clear that being happy is a question of taking things with good humor and nonchalance.
Other characters in the film represent the conventional view of bourgeois society Poppy rebuking not find a partner, a better job, not being more competitive, and so on. His sister, who is very proud of herself for being married, pregnant and living in an elegant house with her husband, advertise the wonders of the conventional life to try to preach to the misguided family, but it's easy see that the true function of this speech is to convince herself and cover their own insecurity. Similarly, the teacher of the driving school we are sensing throughout the film who is attracted by Poppy, eventually bursting and finally reproaching her flirt with men, although this character is right to say that she not so crazy but is fully aware of its appeal and its game, which is doing well no longer cling to the seriousness to make sense of a gray existence. The film, while far from didactic panfletarismo Ken Loach and a British social cinema look no labels of any kind, shows great respect for the freedom of the person and the right to pursue happiness each in its own way .
Top Scenes:
- reminds Zoe Poppy you can not please everyone. She replies that what is wrong with trying.
Anecdotes:
- Introduced in the Berlin Film Festival this year 2008 with great success, winning the award for Best Actress for Sally Hawkins. It is likely that when the season starts soon awards for best films of the year, pick a few candidates.
About the director:
Mike Leigh was born around 1943 and Manchester in the 70 starts in his career as writer and director in British film and television, failed international recognition to the 90. Belongs to school of British social realist cinema and, although not as well known as Ken Loach , is also the method of working with semi-professional actors and go on the script together with them, leaving them to build their character and dialogue and contribute their own ideas, resulting in quasi-experimental films without a specific argument but with a sense of great ease and credibility. His greatest success was achieved in 1995 with Secrets and Lies. The protagonists of his films are people working or middle class with very everyday problems. Links:
