Saturday, 5 September 2026 at 9 pm
Directed by: Mike Leigh
United Kingdom, 1993
Johnny flees from Manchester to London after initially consensual, then violent sex with a woman who threatens revenge. He arrives in London in a stolen car, where he seeks refuge with his ex-girlfriend Louise, who is not happy to see him. Louise works as a civil servant and lives with two flatmates – the unemployed Sophie and Sandra, a nurse who is currently in Zimbabwe.
Johnny seduces Sophie, but quickly tires of her and leaves the flat, heading to central London where he spouts his worldview to anyone who will listen. There he meets a young Scotsman, Archie, who is looking for his girlfriend Maggie, and Brian, a security guard. Meanwhile, a sophisticated and arrogant Jeremy appears at Louise's flat, claiming to be the landlord and raping Sophie…
It is the film that established Mike Leigh as the most successful director of his generation and firmly established his reputation as a major figure in contemporary world cinema. The film premiered in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the awards for Best Director and Best Actor (David Thewlis). It was also nominated for the British Academy Film and Television Award (BAFTA) “Alexander Korda” Award for Best British Film, for the Golden Hugo for Best Film at the Chicago Film Festival, for the top American independent award, the Independent Spirit Award, for Best Foreign Film, and in the 1999 Village Voice poll it was ranked seventh on the list of the best films of the decade. Critics highlighted David Thewlis's extraordinary performance as Johnny and Leigh's brilliant direction, concluding that the intellectual depth, stark realism and sharp social commentary create a brutally honest portrait of a Britain in the post-Margaret Thatcher era. Some viewers had an issue with the unlikable central character, the violent nihilist Johnny, but they were in the minority.
Comment by: Damir Radić
Tickets for the screening on 5 September 2026 at 9 pm can be purchased online HERE, as well as at the Surogatkino KIC box office one hour before the start.