grown-ups (mike leigh, 1980)

one of the finest of the films that mike leigh produced for the bbc early in his career, grown-ups focuses on the relationship between dick and mandy, a young, newlywed couple whose marital tensions are exacerbated by those around them, including their next-door neighbor—who just so happens to their stern ex-teacher—and gloria, mandy’s cringe-inducingly oblivious sister, whose constant presence becomes a source of immense irritation. in true leigh fashion, things come to a head in a climax that is brilliantly funny and heartbreaking at the same time.