All or Nothing

Rarely has Mike Leigh's universe been more depressing than in All or Nothing, whose large cast of characters consists of more or less pitiful existences. What they have in common is that they live in the same bleak concrete estate, and that they all belong to the underclass - and are broke.

At the centre is the Bennett family. The checkout assistant Penny's basic attitude is one of deep disappointment with life, and not least with her husband, the somewhat wet taxi driver Phil. They have two grown-up children living at home, Rachel and Rory, both of whom are severely overweight. The family does not function, but then a dramatic event occurs that makes them view life differently, and a faint hope for the future can be glimpsed. In this way the film resembles many of the Danish films from around the turn of the millennium, such as "Den eneste ene", "Open Hearts" and "Minor Mishaps", in which a single event has drastic consequences.

The film also depicts other sad fates, among them Penny's friend, the alcoholic Carol, and her attention-starved daughter Samantha. Penny's other friend Maureen is the only one who looks on the bright side of life, even when her daughter Donna seems set to follow in her footsteps and become a single mother.

The concluding scene of catharsis is too long and tearful, and the film as a whole could have been somewhat more tightly put together. But one cannot take away from Mike Leigh that he is superb at depicting people at the bottom of society.