Loved by 95 per cent of the world's critics, but not this one, this is unattractive minimalist cinema from director Mike Leigh, which might well have shared the title of one of previous films, Bleak Moments. Shot to all intents and purposes in black and white (actually colour with the shades drained, this has little to do with entertainment or cinema. A drifter (David Thewlis) turns up at his ex-girlfriend's ramshackle flat and proceeds to couple with her Goth friend and anyone else who comes within range, all of whom are quite ready for instant sex. As a portrait of deadbeats, this is charmless, clumsy, cramped and only occasionally amusing. It could, in fact, be a cure for insomnia - but if you've had a hard day and feel like putting your head in the gas oven, these mannered manic depressives will give you a shove.


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