Mike Leigh in Minneapolis

This weekend, Mike Leigh’s 1990 comedy Life Is Sweet will screen at the Trylon microcinema in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as part of a monthlong retrospective of the director’s early films. This intimate portrait of working-class life in Thatcher-era north London centers on a wisecracking, middle-aged woman who juggles part-time work as a shop clerk and an aerobics instructor; her lackadaisical chef husband, who dreams of opening a fast-food van; and their temperamentally disparate twin daughters. Suffused with the director’s masterful blend of melancholy and sardonic wit, Leigh’s international breakthrough demonstrates his conviction “that people are infinitely complex, eternally resilient, endlessly fascinating creatures,” a career hallmark that critic David Sterritt examines in his liner notes for our release.

Those in Minneapolis can see the film this coming Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. In the meantime, listen to an excerpt from Leigh’s audio commentary track on our release, and watch Three Reasons: Life Is Sweet below.