Bleak Moments Details

Written and directed by Mike Leigh and produced and edited by Leslie Blair, this may be the work of two dedicated realists, but it isn't quite the depressing prospect suggested by the title. However, it is an unflinching look at the everyday difficulties facing people leading quietly extraordinary lives. Among them is Anne Raitt, who struggles to communicate with anyone she knows, from her mentally disabled sister and her daydreaming office-mate to the hippy in her garage and her kindly teacher boyfriend. Everyone remembers the Chinese meal, but it's the aggregate of little episodes that makes this so moving and effective.

Clearly not likely to appeal to the entertainment-seeking masses, and undeniably overlong, this small movie nevertheless has plenty of telling and even amusing detail about life as most of us recognize it.