TENDER LOVING CARE Luminaries

TENDER LOVING CARE

Acclaimed British auteur Mike Leigh returns in top form with another astutely observed study on the resilience and compassion of ordinary people after the magnificent HARD TRUTHS (AFI FEST 2024), this time centering on the enduring friendship between two NHS social workers. Amy (Kate O’Flynn, dialing in a familiar charm as her Emmy ®-nominated role in WIDOW’S BAY), a child protection worker freshly out of a breakup, has moved back in with childhood best friend Rosie (Alice Bailey Johnson), a fellow social worker in another sector. Amidst well-intentioned concerns about her love life from Amy’s parents and an increasingly worrying ailment from her aging father, both women contend with the crushing demands of their jobs which are often met with thankless rejection and disavowal, but find comfort and humor in the presence of each other. Oscillating between their public and private lives, Leigh perceptively builds a texturally layered portrait of friendship, family and grief, while capturing the enduring grit and patience of healthcare workers in the face of the UK’s underfunded and understaffed social services sector. At once poignantly uplifting and achingly witty, TENDER LOVING CARE is yet another celebrated entry in Leigh’s tenured canon of exquisite, humanist stories. –Anna Li

Mike Leigh is an English screenwriter, director and producer with a film, theater and television career spanning more than 60 years. His feature films include BLEAK MOMENTS (1971), NAKED (1993), SECRETS & LIES (1996), HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (2008), ANOTHER YEAR (2010) and HARD TRUTHS (AFI FEST 2024). His accolades include the Palme d’Or, the Venice Golden Lion, several BAFTA Awards and seven Academy Award® nominations. Leigh has written and directed over 20 stage plays.

Phil Gubert
Bleecker Street
philgubert@bleeckerstreetmedia.com

MEMBERS & PASSHOLDERS

Screenings

October 25, 11:30 a.m.

Chinese 4

Details

Country: UK

Year: 2026

Director: Mike Leigh

Screenwriter: Mike Leigh

Producer: Georgina Lowe

Executive Producer: Gail Egan

Director of Photography: Lucy Bristow

Editor: Tania Reddin

Production Designer: Jane Brodie

Costume Designer: Jacquelin Durran

Music: Gary Yershon

Cast/Featuring: Kate O'Flynn, Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Alice Bailey Johnson

Running Time (minutes): 107

Language: English

CULTURAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

AFI FEST
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.