Meantime (1983)

A working-class family in London's East End is struggling to stay afloat during the recession under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's premiership. Only the mother Mavis is working; father Frank and the couple's two sons Colin, a timid, chronically shy individual and Mark, an outspoken, headstrong young man, are on the dole. This situation is contrasted by the presence of Mavis's sister Barbara, and her husband John, whose financial and social loftiness appears to be a comfortable facade over the unspoken soreness of a lackluster marriage.

Genres: Drama, Comedy, TV Movie

What to watch after Meantime

• Career Girls (1997) — Same feel: realistic, melancholy
• Quadrophenia (1979) — Same subject: london, england
• Another Year (2010) — Mike Leigh directed both
• Living (2022) — Two steps away in the credits
• High Hopes (1988) — Same subject: london, england, working class
• Prick Up Your Ears (1987) — Alfred Molina and Gary Oldman appear in both