Johnny, aimlessly wandering through London’s concrete streets at midnight, is the very embodiment of the rage echoing through the city’s dark underbelly. Having fled Manchester to take refuge in this vast labyrinth, he is a stranger to everyone he encounters—and to himself, an enemy with a depleted budget. In this gritty blend of drama and comedy that serves as a character study, Mike Leigh takes the audience out of sterile movie theaters and drops them into the metropolis’s most secluded, most ruthless streets. This nighttime stroll, where feelings of alienation and nihilism melt away in the yellow glow of streetlamps, leaves a lingering residue that won’t fade from the mind for a long time.

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award8 wins & 7 nominations total