NYFCC and NSFC award-winning English kitchen-sink director Mike Leigh (“Secrets & Lies” & “Vera Drake”) re-teams with long-time cinematographer Dick Pope (“Vera Drake” & “The Illusionist”) for his wide-screen début which won him numerous awards and a somewhat obscure Oscar nomination for his largely improvised screenplay.

Single thirty-something primary school teacher Poppy Cross (Sally Hawkins) takes lessons from unhinged driving instructor Scott (Eddie Marsan), goes binge drinking with flatmate Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), flamencos with fellow teacher Heather (Sylvestra Le Touzel) and flirts with social worker Tim (Samuel Roukin) in a largely improvised non-storyline.

Golden Globe-winning English actress Sally Hawkins (“Vera Drake” & “Layer Cake”) gives a stunning central performance that has won her many awards and accolades whilst powerful support comes from BIF award-winning co-stars Eddie Marsan (“Vera Drake” & “Hancock”) and Alexis Zegerman the former seemingly blissfully unaware that this is a comedy.

The film-makers have created a compelling central character, who, when brought to love by a truly gifted actress, seems infuriatingly believable and against the odds manages to hold together a rather flighty storyline that seems completely unworthy of its Academy Award nomination but none the less provides the requisite moments of realistic comedy and drama.

“It’s not easy being you, is it?”