Leigh's domain is the seedy bed-sit, the run-down council estate, where stilted conversation, casual violence and loveless sex are the norm.

BBC: Mike Leigh: Britain's Bergman

The heroine, the fortyish Hester Collyer (Rachel Weisz), has left her husband, a rich, distinguished barrister (Simon Russell Beale), and is living in a dreary bed-sit in London with a former R.

NEWYORKER: Crash Landing

When it was time to leave the cottage, I would bring it back to my bed-sit, wash it in the basin, and iron and fold it so that it would be ready for the next visit.

NEWYORKER: Hand on the Shoulder

Before climbing into bed at night, he would perform his exercises chin-ups, sit-ups, pushups.

NEWYORKER: Soldier��s Joy