The first images have been released from Mike Leigh’s new drama Tender Loving Care starring Widow’s Bay actress Kate O’Flynn. The film is set for release in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on February 12, 2027, following its showing at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
Tender Loving Care sees O’Flynn as Amy, described as “a devoted social service worker who puts her heart and soul into her job to care for those in need.”
The synopsis continues: “At home, however, she finds herself confronting new challenges as her beloved father begins to show the early signs of dementia, and she and her mother must begin to make peace with their new reality.
StudioCanal
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“Through it all, Amy finds comfort, perspective, and plenty of laughter through sips of wine with her lifelong friend Rosie, whose warmth and wit become a vital anchor as both women navigate the shifting rhythms of approaching middle age.”
Alongside Flynn, Tender Loving Care stars The Crown’s Marion Bailey and Mr Turner’s Paul Jesson, as well as Black Mirror’s Alice Bailey Johnson.
The film was written by 83-year-old Leigh and the director has said it is “most likely” his last project, after a career which has spanned more than six decades and netted him three BAFTA Awards.
Leigh, who suffers from myositis — a disease where the immune system attacks the muscle, which has affected his mobility — told Indie Wire last month that making another film would be “very difficult” and is “not going to be possible” due to his condition.
He added: “I was lucky in making this last film — people were very helpful. You’ll see when I get up that my two friends all helped me to stand up.
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“So I probably can’t do much more. And doing a play is even more physically demanding, strangely enough, than making a film, because on a film you can be moved around.”
Ahead of its showing at TIFF, Tender Loving Care was described as a “gently uplifting celebration of resilience, compassion, and the people we surround ourselves with.”
“In the hands of the incomparable filmmaker, Tender Loving Care is another masterclass in finding the extraordinary within the ordinary,” the description added.
Tender Loving Care is released in UK and Ireland cinemas on February 12, 2027.
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Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.
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