BristolShambler t1_iycvn0a wrote on November 30, 2022 at 1:41 PM

There’s a proud history of “kitchen sink” drama in British cinema, but by the 90s this strand of storytelling was a bit derided by younger filmmakers as dour and un-entertaining.

Danny Boyle really kicked against this tradition and that was one of the reasons why his early films felt so fresh and dynamic. Essentially kitchen sink dramas just fell out of fashion in the 90s.

drobbie t1_iydsn10 wrote on November 30, 2022 at 5:33 PM

pretty much everything shane meadows has ever made is kitchen sink drama , starting in the late 90s and continuing through to now

haribobosses t1_iydw4zr wrote on November 30, 2022 at 5:55 PM

Mike Leigh around the same time was making pretty popular gritty working class dramas though. What about Ken Loach?

BristolShambler t1_iyegxoh wrote on November 30, 2022 at 8:08 PM

Leigh & Loach were making critically lauded work in the 90s, but it wasn’t really popular. Before Boyle in particular came onto the scene British films were stereotyped as being all like Kes and Cathy Come Home.

They’ve both seen a bit of a resurgence in popularity- partly because of our current government - but for a while that style of filmmaking was seen as just deeply uncool

Jaggedmallard26 t1_iyepbnb wrote on November 30, 2022 at 9:01 PM

I would barely say Ken Loach is seeing a resurgence in popularity. His last few films are popular among journalists and independent cinema types but they haven't broken remotely into the British mainstream. Most Brits who know of him will have heard of him through articles but not actually watched his films.