Tender Loving Care

Palme d'Or winner Mike Leigh returns with a deeply humane tragicomedy that once again turns his compassionate gaze toward ordinary lives. Amy, a dedicated child protection worker, moves back in with her cheerful lifelong friend Rosie, a fellow social worker who faces anger, frustration, and emotional exhaustion every day. At the same time, Amy must confront the painful reality that her beloved father is showing the early signs of dementia, forcing her family to come to terms with an uncertain future.

With his trademark blend of emotional precision, gentle humour, and extraordinary performances, Leigh crafts a profoundly moving portrait of friendship, caregiving, and ageing. Eschewing melodrama in favour of quiet observation, Tender Loving Care examines the invisible labour of caring for others while celebrating the resilience and tenderness that sustain us through life's most difficult moments. Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival before screening at Toronto and San Sebastián, the film marks another masterful addition to one of Britain's most celebrated filmmaking careers.

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Telluride Film Festival 2026 – World Premiere
Toronto International Film Festival 2026
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2026 – Golden Shell for Best Film

Mike Leigh is one of Britain's most acclaimed filmmakers, renowned for his improvisation-based working method and his deeply compassionate portraits of ordinary people. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he has directed landmark films including Secrets & Lies (Palme d'Or, Cannes 1996), Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year, Mr. Turner, Peterloo, and Hard Truths. Winner of the Palme d'Or and multiple BAFTA, Cannes, Venice, and Academy Award nominations, Leigh remains one of contemporary cinema's defining humanist auteurs. Tender Loving Care continues his lucid exploration of the emotional textures of everyday life.

Secrets & Lies (1996)
Vera Drake (2004)
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
Another Year (2010)
Hard Truths (2024)

Original title: Tender Loving Care
Director: Mike Leigh
Cast: Kate O'Flynn, Amanda Lawrence, Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Alice Bailey Johnson, Peter Wight
Cinematography: Lucy Bristow
Screenwriter: Mike Leigh
Producers: Georgina Lowe, Henry Woolley, Sally Lynn
Editor: Tania Reddin
Music: Gary Yershon
Sound: Lee Herrick, Ross Western, Paul Cotterell, Richard Spooner
Hungarian distributor: –
Colour: Colour
Run Time: 107 mins