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Mike Leigh isn’t a flashy director. His improvised films have a meandering quality that some do not like, because they do not strictly adhere to conventional plots. Compared to SECRETS & LIES and ALL OR NOTHING, his latest film is cotton candy. But like his somber VERA DRAKE, this film relies on one central performance. Sally Hawkins is a revelation. She fills the screen with happiness. I came out of the theater with a skip in my step and a smile on my face.

Poppy (Hawkins, THE PAINTED VEIL) is full of life. Her main goal is to make those around her happy. She’s 30, teaches elementary school, and lives with her longtime friend Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), a woman who doesn’t have the same cheery outlook on life as her flatmate, but knows that her life is better for having Poppy in it. Poppy floats on the wind and goes wherever it takes her. A coworker is taking Flamenco lessons so she joins in. She loves having a weekly turn on the trampoline. When her bike is stolen, she brushes it off and only wishes she could have said goodbye. This leads to driving lessons with Scott (Eddie Marsan, THE ILLUSIONIST), the most miserable man on the planet. The two couldn’t be more opposites, but this film is too good to take them where every other film would.

Leigh’s approach to films is to develop a concept with his actors then improvise the scenes from which a script is formed. More than a great deal of his recent work, this one is the least beholden to plot. It simply puts Poppy in various scenarios and watches how she reacts. She throws out her back, so we see her cheerily deal with the pain and go to the chiropractor — a strapping man named Ezra (Nonso Anozie, ATONEMENT). She doesn’t see her parents much, but she’s always around to cheer up her foul-mouthed little sister Suzy (Kate O’Flynn, TV’s THE PALACE), who worries too much about her schooling. Poppy worries that she doesn’t see her other sister Helen (Caroline Martin) enough, but once we meet Helen we can see why she’s a drag on Poppy’s style. When a boy in her class starts hitting other children, she handles the situation with calm and tact, through which she meets the handsome social worker Tim (Samuel Roukin).

But the highlight of the film is Poppy’s interactions with Scott. Poppy is amazed at Scott’s sour personality from the start, but is determined to make him happy. The driving instructions become irrelevant. In the angry troubled boy in her class, she sees Scott, who blames the world for his problems. He hates everything and doesn’t hesitate to tell you so. He’s convinced the world is out to get him. His prejudices and outbursts amuse Poppy, presenting her with a wonderful challenge. Both actors play their roles perfectly. Marsan truly supports Hawkins, and the combination of the two captures the film’s overall message. Their final encounter will have you rethinking your own behavior behind the wheel, and elsewhere.

While Poppy takes the good with the bad, she isn’t naïve. She knows there are sad and ugly things in the world, but she just chooses not to dwell on them. She finds simple joys in her life, and cherishes them. Her good nature gets her in some dodgy situations, but she lives and learns. We know why Zoe has lived with her for 10 years. She is an inspiration.